


What Happened to Tord After the End

by jackinthebox123



Series: The Adventures of Edd, Matt, Tom, and Tord. But mostly Tord. [1]
Category: Eddsworld
Genre: Amputation, Heats, M/M, NSFW, PTSD, Slow Burn, gorey sorta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-26 10:22:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 105
Words: 113,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10784928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackinthebox123/pseuds/jackinthebox123
Summary: Basically right after the last Eddisode, Tord is taken in by Paul and Patryck to their apartment, and his injuries are fixed, his arm is amputated, and they don't have all the painkillers they need, and Tord doesn't want to go to a hospital.Things just progress from there.





	1. "Bad news."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this may suck, may trigger some people. I dunno. I know nothing about medical stuff, this is 100% made up. Don't try any of this at home.  
> Also, I will take constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is highly encouraged. Compliments are too ;3  
> Second to last thing: I haven't read any fanfics about Paul and Patryck, their personalities are my own based off what I have seen in one or two Eddisodes. Sorry if it's not like you like X3  
> Okay, last thing, there's a few headcanons in here, I think. I dunno for sure, my mind takes stories and adds headcanons without me noticing. So yeah. Hope you enjoy reading!!  
> UPDATE OF IMPORTANCE:  
> I'm giving them my own last names, the characters may be slightly based off the real people but they are not the same, as has been pointed out and stressed by Tomska. So yeah. Based off Eddsworld, not real people.

Paul carefully wraps Tords arm, quiet with shock and sensing his leader just wants silence. He finishes and ties it off, then sits for a moment, puts a comforting hand on his leaders shoulder, and walks to where Patryck is scavenging the head of the robot. He searches silently with him and they put everything salvageable, except the robot arm Tord holds, in the car. They get in and start a whispered conversation.  
"Paul, what do we do? We can't leave him here."  
"You talk to him. He's always been more talkative with you."  
Patryck bites his lip and waits a minute, pondering what to say, then walks out and sits next to Tord. He doesn't do anything at first, then puts a hand on Tords shoulder.  
"We need to go." He waits, and there's no response from Tord. He carefully puts Tords bandaged arm over his shoulders, ready to support him standing. Still no response. Patryck carefully pulls him to his feet, and helps him limp back to the car, opening the back door and scooting in next to him. Paul has already taken them to the hospital parking lot when Tord quietly says something. He repeats it when Patryck leans closer.  
"Not here."  
Patryck is uncertain but tells Paul to take them home to their relatively large apartment. By the time they get there, Tord has slumped over, unconscious from lack of blood. Patryck moves aside and lets Paul, who's stronger, pick up Tord, and they go in and lay down the plastic sheet they usually use for fixing the car on the master bed. They set Tord carefully on top, after laying a couple throwaway blankets for cushioning, and Patryck rewraps his bandages.  
Patryck and Paul have another whispered conversation on their couch.  
"He passed out in the car."  
"Oh I didn't know that, genius."  
"He has to get professional help, Paul!!!"  
"Alright alright... We could have one person come in and look at him. While he's still out."  
Patryck ponders this for a second, then pulls out his phone.  
"Do we tell them who it is?"  
"No, just in case. Just tell them to send a medical professional and not to bring an ambulance."  
Patryck calls them and tells them so, clarifying a couple things before hanging up. "Okay, they're coming."  
"Why are we whispering?"  
"I dunno"  
There's a knock on the door about ten minutes later, and they let in a relatively tall man with a briefcase.  
"Hi, the names Dr.Garry." He holds out a hand to shake and then notices their uniforms.  
"Fancy uniform. Are you in the government or something?"  
"Shoot. Should've taken it off."  
They both shake his hand, and doctor notices blood on their uniforms, on the cuffs and across the shoulders and in Paul's lap.  
"So are one of you two the ones with the problem?"  
They glance at each other.  
"He's in the bedroom."  
Paul follows him in and sits on the bed, where Tord lays pale and sweating, and Dr. Garry stares for a moment.  
"He should not be here. He needs more help than this."  
He starts to pick up his phone when Patryck leans forward and plucks it out of his hand. Dr. Garry starts to protest when Patryck puts a finger to his lips and pockets it.  
"He'll give it back if you absolutely need it to treat Red- uh, Thomas, and we're not taking him to the hospital. Also be quiet, he doesn't know we're giving him help at all and it would be best he doesn't."  
Dr. Garry nods uncertainly and carefully unwraps his bandages, checking his pulse. He carefully removes Tords hoodie then takes out some scissors, cutting the shirt off. He then pulls out a syringe, and Paul winces, shutting his eyes. The doctor takes a drop of blood, not much, and drips it on a paper, and does a few other medical things to check on Tords condition. Paul and Patryck get more and more nervous as the doctors face becomes more and more worried. He bites his lip and then takes a piece of cloth and a long stick.  
"I have good news and bad news. Really bad news."  
Paul pales and Patryck takes a shaking breath. "What?"  
"He lost too much blood in his arm. He'll live, there's not much doubt of that." He wraps the cloth around Tords shoulder, tying it into a tourniquet.  
"He has a fever from not having enough body warmth. And he may get a blood infection. I'm gonna have to come back later with a liquid solution to prevent or fight that. But... the bad news is..."  
He takes a breath.  
"His arm is dead. Completely. He has no nervous connection to it, and several of his muscles have been torn practically in half. It... it has to be amputated."


	2. Breaking the News to a Psychopath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get an analysis and the doctor goes home for the night while Patryck cares for Tord. Tord finally wakes up and they break the news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the chapters may not end very well, I wrote this all at once as one long story so I just have to find a way to break it up. Also, the style of writing may change just a little. Lastly, I'm posting the first few chapters at once but after today they may be weekly, daily if I'm up to it, I don't know. I haven't written a fanfic before this and posted it. Except one, but I never finished it, don't check out my other works XD

"His arm is dead. Completely. He has no nervous connection to it, and several of his muscles have been torn practically in half. It... it has to be amputated."  
Patryck puts a hand to his mouth, eyes wide, and Paul puts a shaking hand to his mouth.  
Patryck uncovers his mouth. "We- we can't! He'll kill us! He can't- we can't just-"  
"It's that or let his arm rot. Either way he can't use it."  
Paul shakes his head, not speaking.  
"I can't do it today. I cut off the bleeding, he should have his blood oxygen back soon enough to wake up by tomorrow. I'll come back, and if he still won't let us take him in then I'll have to do it here. I'll come back with a solution for the poisoning as well." He packs his case and leaves a syringe filled with some clear thing.  
"This is a painkiller, if he wakes up. His face will be killing him. Put half the syringe in at a time, a period of three hours. Also, his eye should be fine, just keep it under the bandage. As for his fever, let him sleep, keep him warm. But whatever you do, keep it clean. It'll hurt if he wakes up, but you absolutely have to. Okay? A regular period of fifty minutes. He should be fine. Can I have my phone now?"  
Patryck holds it out.   
"If we find that you've told anyone about this, we will personally have you fired and arrested, this has to stay secret." The doctor nods again, glances at Tord, and leaves. They lock the door after him, and Patryck combs his hand through his hair. "What the hell are we going to do?!? He's GOING to kill us. He will kill us if we take his arm."  
He sits on the couch and stresses out. Paul sits next to him, arm over his shoulders.   
"We'll be okay. Maybe he'll understand, that we didn't have a choice. It was that or let him die."  
Patryck suddenly stands up and announces that they're going to dinner. As they're coming back in the door, slightly lighter hearted, a moan from the bedroom makes them freeze. They glance at each other as their fear comes back twofold, and Paul throws the leftovers on the couch and goes into the room, where Tord is still shivering and gripping the blankets, a look of immense pain on his face. He's semiconscious, and Paul thinks for a moment then takes the syringe. His hand trembles and Patryck grabs his wrist, taking the syringe from it and sticking the needle in Tords good arm, pushing halfway before setting it down again. Tord slowly calms down, hand relaxing. Patryck picks up a pre-soaked alcohol rag, removes the bandages from Tords head, and dabs at his face. "Please don't react please don- AGH!!!" He yelps, jumps off the bed, and slams against the wall as Tord yells, good hand going up and twitching near his face. Tears start streaming down his face, soaking the blanket below his head.  
"It... huuuuurrrrrrts...." Patryck gulps, then inches forward.  
"I... didn't finish."  
He reaches tentatively forward with the rag, and shouts and jumps again as Tord grabs his wrist. He looks Patryck dead in the eye, with the only one not swollen shut, and says in a dead tone of voice, "Don't you dare."  
Patryck nods quickly and pulls his hand back, setting it on the table next to the bed. Tord groans, hand seeming to want to scratch his face. He sits up and glances around, then sees his bad arm, which is deadly white where it isn't covered in blood, and his eye widens. "Why... who put a tourniquet on my arm?!? It'll die!!" He starts to try to rip the bandage off when Paul grabs his hand. Tord struggles frantically. "LET GO OF ME!!!"  
Paul shudders and glances at Patryck.   
Patryck sighs. "Fine, I'll tell him."  
Tord glares at him.  
Patryck takes a deep breath.  
"We, uh, called a doctor."  
Tords hand clenches.  
"He, uh, checked you out. And he told us..."  
He glances at Paul, scared.  
"He said he's gonna have to amputate your arm."  
Tord, to everyone's surprise, just sighs. "I thought I might have to." He glares at Paul. "Let go." Paul's hand flinches back as though burned. "Where's the arm?"  
"Uh, they didn't cut it off yet?"  
"No you idiot!!! The robot arm! The one I took with us?" Paul gasps. "You're not serious?!?"  
Tord turns to him and snaps, "What do you expect me to do, walk around one handed?!? Bring it to me."  
Paul dashes out and comes back in holding the wire snapped, broken robot arm. He lays it in Tords lap, and Tord picks it up. "This will work. I'll need to tune it up, but it's made for me anyway so it should work."  
"Are... are you okay with the amputation?"  
Patryck winces as Tord shouts at him. "Of course I'm not!!! Who would be okay with having their arm cut off?!? Just because I have a solution doesn't mean I'm all happy go lucky about it!!"


	3. To Fix a Robot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord starts work on his arm and the doctor comes back to amputate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's shorter than the others, I couldnt split it in the middle of "medical" work.

He clutches the arm tightly, and tosses it down on the bed next to him. He covers the good half of his face with his hand as tears stream down his face. He hisses as tears slide down his mangled face and Patryck looks at Paul. "I'm supposed to clean your face. To, uh, keep it from infecting." Tord looks at Patryck, and for the first time his face shows fear. "Don't, please."  
Patryck winces. "I have to. I-I can make it fast. I'll make it as fast as possible. But I have to."  
Tord lays back down, starting to panic. "I can't, it hurts." Patryck slowly picks up the rag, then in one smooth movement opens it up and presses it against the whole of Tords injured face, then flinches back with the rag clenched in his hand. Tord screams again and rubs his face against the pillow. "MAKE IT STOP!!!" He flops back down, face down, as the pain fades away to a steady throbbing. "It huuuuuurrrrrts." Paul comes over and hugs Patryck, nerves getting the better of him. Patryck wraps his arms around him.  
It takes a few minutes for them to realize that Tord is unconscious again. Paul is still shivering, and Patryck rubs his back soothingly.  
“He'll be fine. I was so scared. I thought he'd kill us.”  
Paul nods.  
“I've fought zombies before but this has been the most terrifying experience, seeing red leader wr-writhing in pain.” Paul shivers. “And that's not nearly as bad as tomorrow will be.”  
Patryck shudders. “Don't make me think about it.”  
Paul quietly mutters something about sleep, and they both get ready and go to sleep in the living room, and Paul refuses to sleep separately from Patryck on the pull out couch, clutching him for comfort. They fell into an uneasy sleep.

Partway through the night Patryck is woken by moans from the bedroom. He carefully extricates himself from Pauls arms and gets up, going into the room. Tord has tears streaking down his face and he's sweating and clutching the sheets, white as the blankets he holds. He pleads to nobody, babbling, and Patryck grabs the syringe. “Shhh it'll be okay.” He sticks the syringe quickly in Tords arm, pushing the rest of the painkillers in, and pulls it out, setting it on the table. He stays with him until his moans die down, rubbing his thigh and murmuring words of comfort. He walks back to the couch and shakes Paul awake.  
“Hmm whaaa?”  
“I'm going to sleep in the leaders room. He needs care.”  
Paul nods. “M’kay, I'll come too.”  
“Okay.” They take a couple blankets and Paul camps out on the floor, while Patryck sleeps a respectful distance away on the bed, not quite able to sleep but dozing the rest of the night. He's only woken one time more, while Tord has nightmares, and strokes the good side of his face until Tord calms down again.  
The next morning Paul wakes up, and Patryck glances at him tiredly, bags under his eyes.  
“What time is the doctor coming over?”  
“I dunno.” They wait in tense silence for a while. Around lunchtime they get up and moving and order pizza, and Tord wakes up. He doesn't complain about his face, but he doesn't move much either, just lays staring at the ceiling. Patryck sits next to him. “Do you want to work on your robot arm? I'll get you what you need.” Tord is quiet, and then nods and has Patryck help him sit up. Patryck lays the arm across his lap, and goes and gets a few screwdrivers and even a soldering iron for the wires. He works on it one handedly, sometimes telling Patryck to help him do something. They're halfway done with repairs when there's a knock on the door. Tord pales, and Patryck glances up quickly when he hears Paul let the doctor in, and they walk into the bedroom. Patryck finishes screwing the thing in and starts to set it aside when the doctor stops him. “No, keep working on it. It'll be nice to be able to do it all in one fell swoop. So I have some good news and one bad thing.” He pulls a couple things out of his bag. “First off, the bad news. I couldn't get clearance to the anesthetics that put you out, or an IV drip, which isn't as important, for this surgery. Not without telling them everything and getting professional clearance to take it out of the hospital. I smuggled some anesthetics of the weaker kind, which will sedate you. You'll still feel the pain, but not bad, as you'll be in a hovering state of semiconscious. So it'll hurt, but only distantly.” He takes a carefully folded and bagged cloth out of his bag. “This is for your face, it's a solution that keeps it clean as long as it's wrapped in and it doesn't hurt a bit. It'll actually numb your face, so it should help a bit.” He unwraps Tords face and lays the cloth down, bandaging it on. “It's okay if it dries a bit, leave it on anyway.” Tord finishes fixing a couple of the fingers and sighs in relief as the pain leaks away from his face.


	4. Readying For Prosthetic Robot Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord survives his amputation. The doctor isn't available and when Tord regains a clear mind he takes charge of his robotic replacement procedure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AMPUTATION CHAPTER! Ready yourself!  
> I have really low self esteem and I keep looking at this and thinking "There's no way people will deal with this crap it's way too long and descriptive and not what people look for in a fanfiction." So for those of you still reading, seriously, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. You guys are what I'm here for. But remember, constructive criticism is encouraged, I want to know how to appeal to readers better!

“Now.” Says the doctor, picking up Tords limp arm. “I'm gonna have to clean this up a bit. Luckily, you have no nervous connections up to your elbow. Above that you have a couple, but it won't affect you much. And I noticed the smell when I came in, it's already starting to deteriorate. Nothing we could've done about that.”  
He proceeds to clean Tords arm, even stitching a couple cuts still barely trickling blood. He glances at where they're still working on the arm, and puts the needle and thread away. “Now, until that arm is finished, I don't want to take this one off. So I'll leave for lunch, and you call me when you finish, or I'll just come back.”  
Tord nods, not watching or reacting as the doctor packs his stuff and leaves. After about half an hour, Tord holds up the finished product.  
“Polish this.” He tells Paul, who took over for Patryck. “And tell Patryck to call the guy.” Paul nods and leaves, and in ten minutes the doctor comes back in. He brings a mattress and a large bucket, and sets it up on the ground in the living room, the bucket set up right next to the mattress. He tells Tord to move onto it, and Tord carefully lays on it, dead arm hanging over the bucket. “I'm gonna have to strap you down so you don't move while I'm cutting.” He winces. “I've done this about twice before. Just so you know.” He gets a couple padded ropes out of his briefcase, tying them around Tords torso and legs, and one carefully around his head. Tord winces and tries to look away, but his head is strapped down so he can't.  
“Okay, I'm gonna fill you with a couple drugs for this, so don't freak out if you start feeling weird. I'll tell you before I do anything, okay? And if you need me to wait just tell me and I will.”  
And he sticks Tord with two syringes, then tying a pulse detector around his other arm, connecting it to a portable screen. And he gets out a knife, informs Tord of what he's about to do, and starts cutting along a carefully marked line. Tord gasps and starts whimpering, but doesn't react too strongly. Patryck stayed the whole time but Paul looked for about fifteen seconds before running into the bathroom, hand over his mouth. Soon they all hear a “thunk” as the arm falls into the bucket, as well as a gush of blood. Tord is woozy by now, about to pass out, and the doctior quickly bandages the stump, pressing down hard to prevent blood flow. He sticks another solution in Tord to help his blood clot, and eventually it stops flowing enough that they can leave the bandage on, tying it up. Tord doesn't react when the doctor untied him, head flopping sideways. Patryck kneels at the head of the mattress and puts Tords head in his lap, and the doctor packs up, cleaning any excess blood off the floor.  
“It went smoothly, that was horrifying I hate doing that, but there were no problems. When he regains a clarity of mind I'll need his direct instructions putting the arm on. And we'll have to do it as fast as possible, because as soon as these bandages come off the blood will start flowing again. Hey hey hey don't do that!” Patryck quickly pulls his arm back from where he was stroking the stump curiously, a guilty look on his face. “Usually it'd be fine, but he just recently got it bandaged I don't want it to get worse.”  
Patryck nods.  
“Okay, I'm gonna camp out here till he's ready, is there a place I could take a nap? I was up late last night getting things ready.” Patryck nods and lets him sleep on the couch, then carefully set Tords drooling head on the mattress and went to check on Paul in the bathroom. He peeks his head in. “You alright?”  
Paul nods from where he's curled up in the corner. “I have no problems with limbs being blown off, but if it's as long and drawn out as that was, and I think of the terror of knowing it's gonna happen to you…” he shudders, eyes wide. “It's terrifying.”  
Patryck chuckles and puts an arm around him. “Yeah, I know what you mean. It's all bandaged up now, want to see it?”  
Paul thinks for a moment, then nods, and they go out and sit next to their leader. Tord is asleep when they get out there, and after some time when he wakes up, he is barely delirious. He sits up by himself, and stares at his stump.  
“This may be the weirdest thing I've woken up to. Hey, Paul, get my arm will you? The robot one,” He clarifies, rolling his eyes, when Paul freezes. Paul looks relieved and nods, getting it and coming back. Patryck starts toward the doctor but Tord stops him. “Let him sleep, I made it easy maintenance. Just get the syringe with the blue liquid and stick it in me before we take the bandages off.”  
Patryck looks startled but nods, getting said syringe. Paul comes back, sees the syringe, and quickly turns away.  
“He seems a bit queasy at the sight of surgery.”  
“Yeah…”  
“Okay, so the first thing we absolutely HAVE to do is a-alcohol it.” Tord winces. “That's what that syringe is for, it will nullify the pain.” Patryck nods.  
“Now you may think you have to stitch it up. Don't. It needs to be able to connect with the blood vessels and nervous system. So if it starts bleeding again, don't worry about it. Leave it. Clean it up quickly if you need to see something. Got it so far?”  
Patryck nods.  
“Okay, now see those electric nodes?”  
Patryck looks in the shoulder of the arm.  
“Yeah I see it.”  
“Those need to be put on very specific places. You may be wondering how I'm gonna make the arm stay on.” He points at a couple spikes.  
“As soon as these recognize my DNA, and after you press a certain button, these will basically bury themselves in me. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Painful without medication, but safe. And these” he points at a couple tiny strings. “Will wrap around my bones. Now, the electric nodes need to be pressed here, here, and here.” He points to three different places on top of the bandage. “And don't get it wrong, or I'll be electrocuted. Won't die but it may singe my flesh and will be very very annoying.”  
Patryck gulps. “Uhh sir? Is this safe?”  
“Hush, soldier. Remember that I'm still your leader, don't question my authority. Now, take off the bandage. And as soon as you do, press a cloth against the stump until you finish sticking me with the syringe. Stick it right here.”  
He indicates somewhere on his shoulder, and Patryck does so, wincing as the blood starts flowing, pouring over his hand. Patryck eventually pulls the blood away as the original gush had stopped and just barely trickled. Tord nods in approval. “Alright, g-get the- you know what to do.” He takes a deep breath as Paul goes ahead and gets the alcohol cloth. Patryck takes it from him and glances at Tord, who nods, eyes shut, and presses the cloth gently against Tords shoulder. Tord grunts and shuts his eye, hand clenching his pants, and whispers, “you have to rub it in.” He grimaces and tucks his head down as Patryck does so. He gasps, “Okay that's enough.” And Patryck puts the offensive thing down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually want to be an author :3 just something interesting about me.


	5. Finally Done With Surgeries, And Cool Robotic Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord gets his robot arm actually on. And surgeries are finished, Tord gets a couple medications, the doctor probes his backstory, and Tord threatens him as he leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter today!!!  
> Finally done with the surgery stuff. TBH I'm actually very cringey about surgery stuff, I hate it. But I'm writing it because I'm dedicated, and now we're done and I'm happy. So, the next couple chapters maaaaayyyy be boring but boredom is another thing I cant stand and likely I'll bring random plots into it.

“Okay, n-now I need you to line it up. Line up the three electric nodes with the red spots here and here. Make sure it's not misaligned. This is important.”  
Patryck shudders and lines it up, then hesitates, peering around it to make sure it's in place. “I'm not sure I should-”   
“JUST DO IT!” Tord grits his teeth and stays very still, and Patryck leans forward and presses the arm against Tords shoulder. Tord shouts but manages to stay still as the spikes dig into his wound. “Th-thank god for painkillers. Now press the yellow button, and don't worry that it'll be covered by a panel, I programmed it like that.” Tord holds his breath, and grunts as a very obvious squishing sound comes from under it. There's a few moments of mechanical whirring then silence.  
“Is… is it done?” Patryck inquires, starting to drop the arm.  
“HOLD IT!!!” Patryck tightens his grip and Tord sighs. “Now, one more button to press. The big green one.”  
“Sorry sir, okay.”  
He presses it and panels slide out at the shoulder, covering Tords entire shoulder and part of his chest, and Tord grunts again as it stabs into his shoulder in multiple places, securing itself, and then sighs with relief as the screws release an overload of painkillers. “Ah that's so much better. Hey, Paul. It's done. There's just one thing left to do.”  
He grins.  
“Implant a chip in my brain.”  
“Why?!”   
“To be able to control it.”  
“You mean it doesn't-”  
“Done. I had it do it automatically. Painlessly. God it feels good not to have pain again.” Tord grins and leans back on his flesh hand, lifting his robot arm and flicking his fingers one at a time. He swirls his hand around, and makes a fist and punches a hole in the mattress. He grins when it comes out covered in a little fluff, and Patryck grins as well. Tord suddenly hugs Patryck, grinning. “I was worried that wouldn't work. I haven't messed with prosthetic robot arms as much! It wasn't even supposed to work with my arm till I started getting bored and messing around with it!” He sits back and stands up, hugging Paul as well, then promptly collapses on him. Paul grunts as he suddenly has to hold all of Tords weight. Tord claps a hand to his forehead. A robotic hand. “Ugh, I forgot I hardly have any blood left in me. I don't think I can stand by myself. Look through the doctor's bag and see if he has blood replacements.”  
Patryck starts toward the doctors bag when suddenly he wakes up. “M’wake I'm awake is he ready to- oh. Oh my god.” Tord waves at him with his robotic hand, grinning. “Morning sunshine. You have anything to fill my blood levels back up?” The doctor sits up and walks over, holding out a hand. “Can I?” Tord holds up his arm invitingly. Doctor Garry holds it by the wrist and elbow, examining it up and down. “This is incredible! I thought it would just be a fancy prosthetic but it's the real thing!”  
He keeps being fascinated for a minute then looks up at Tord.   
“So they never told me your name.”  
“That's because I told them not to tell anyone who I am without permission straight from me. And that includes you. So you're not going to get it, but you can call me…’Red’, if you must.” Dr.Garry nods. “Right, well my name is Dr. Garry, and it's nice to meet you. So, pray tell, how did you get like this?” He indicates Tords injured state.   
“Another thing I'm keeping quiet.” He raises an eyebrow at the doctors disappointed look.   
“Don't expect to get much from me. These two are the only ones who know I only have one arm now. They're also the only ones that know more than my position, my status, and how I punish those who defy me or the re- anyway, so I suggest you don't ask too much.”  
The doctor is obviously dying with curiosity but nods, mouth shut.  
“Okay, so I'm gonna leave a couple bottles of pills to take two of every day, and some pellets to help replenish your blood. Take three a day, at breakfast lunch and dinner, until all signs of dizziness leave. And uh, I will need payment for all of this. I have had to take off work for a couple days and stolen items and well…”  
“HA!” Tord starts laughing then puts a and to his head. “Ahhh I'm gonna pass out. Yes, you will be paid in full. But if it's just money you're looking for…” he looks at Patryck. “Route about 2.5 million into his account.” Patryck nods. “Yes sir.” He walks into their room and works on the laptop for a minute, and the doctor looks at his phone when it bings. “Wait, you were serious?!? That's a lot of money!!”   
“Spend it wisely. Money has been know to destroy fools.”  
The doctor is giddy with excitement. “Oh my god I can't believe it!!! Ah, I suppose we're done here, I'll pack my stuff and- ugh, I have a long day left today.” He states, glancing at the bucket with the arm. “It'll be fine. Wait… how did you know my account and routing number?”  
“We know a lot of things.” Tord replies, taking a card from Patryck as he comes back in and tossing it to the doctor.   
It's his credit card.   
“That was in your phone the day you gave it to him. Lucky you didn't need to buy anything.”   
Dr. Garry swallows nervously. “Who are you guys?”  
“Don't ask questions. Just pack up and go.”  
The doctor sighs and packs all his stuff into a bag, taking the mattress first then coming back for the rest. As he's about to go out the door, Tord calls to him, “Oh, and Dr. Garry?”  
He turns around. “Yeah?”  
“If you tell anyone what you did, or anything you experienced here, or even that you did any work on your time off, I'm going to have to kill you. And I will always find you. I always have.” He waves with a grin. “Bye!”  
The doctor nervously closes the door, thinking, “better not get drunk.” And leaves. Tord sighs. “Put me on the couch. I'm tired, and I want to sleep. You two can catch up on whatever work you missed. I want you to stay here, though, and wake me in three hours.” Paul does and passes him a pellet for blood, and Tord swallows it before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION!!! I'm considering adding an AU. Monster Tom, to be exact. I know I haven't brought the fabulous three in yet, but I'm gonna start polls later (I'll notify the chapter) and I want to know if I have to lead up to it. I'll do the polls after I introduce them.


	6. Sickness Will Not Rule Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord has a nightmare and wakes up sick. He gets some sleep, but is angry and frustrated when he realizes he can't do anything he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a long one! I think. Also, I think I'll do one chapter every other day, unless I can't. I may not be able to keep up with it, and will have to take off a couple days to catch up. Ok Larry to let you guys know. Also, Tord mentions his old friends! Prepare to see them soon! Not too soon though.

About an hour later Paul was dozing while Patryck went to a Chinese cuisine to get food for them and something huge for Tord, since he hadn't eaten in a while. Paul was aroused from his dozing when he hears Tord muttering in his sleep. Paul glances over and sees Tords hands clenching and unclenching and sighs, going back to his work now that he's awake again.  
He glances back again as he hears Tord moan. His forehead is shining with sweat and his face is white, except for his cheeks which are red with fever. Paul uncertainly get up and walks over, feeling his forehead, which makes Tord whimper and pull away. Paul looks at Tord in amazement, not ever hearing something like that from him. Except that one time…Tords forehead was burning, so Paul goes and gets a cool wet cloth, laying it on Tords head.  
He ponders waking Tord up as he starts shivering and his hands stay clenched in fists. Tord whimpers again and starts twitching, every once in a while muttering nonsense under his breath. Then Paul realizes it's not nonsense, it's Norwegian.  
Paul can tell because of various times that Tord has shouted something in his native language out of frustration or anger. Otherwise he usually only speaks English. Paul listens to see if he can decipher anything, but he doesn't actually know much, only recognizing “no” and some sort of apology… maybe.  
He nervously shakes his leader's shoulder, trying to wake him up, to no avail. However, Tord gets a little quieter, and Paul stops to see if anything happens.  
Suddenly, the front door opens, making Paul jump up to his feet in surprise. But his reaction is nothing compared to his leaders.  
Tord sits up as fast as a squirrel and ends up somehow falling off the couch, jumping to his feet immediately in a defensive stance. He looks around, sees Paul and Patryck looking at him in surprise, and slowly calms his breathing, sitting back down on the couch. After a little bit he mutters, “Sorry, you startled me.” He glances down when a wet cloth lands on his arm and picks it up. “What…?”  
“You were having a fever. And, uh, a nightmare?” Tords jaw clenches and he looks away, and he puts a hand to his head. “Yeah, I may be sick. I can take care of myself, you two go ahead and carry on.” Patryck looks uneasy but goes back to his room, and Paul hesitates before following. Tord winces and puts a hand to his head, trying to quell his immersive headache, and gets an ice pack, wraps it in a cloth, and is about to llay back down when Patryck comes in with a bag of Chinese food.  
“Here, I got you some food since you haven't had any in a while.”  
Tord nods and takes the bag, waiting until Patryck leaves again to open the bag. Suddenly his hunger peaks, as though it just suddenly appears, and he tears into the food like a ravenous wolf. He's halfway through when he feels it coming back, and rushes to the bathroom, upchucking into the toilet. He coughs, wiping his mouth somewhat ashamedly. He hates being out of commission, being sick, being weak in any way. It aggravates him, and so he storms in a wavering rage back out, laying down on the couch again and drinking water. His eyes droop, and he thinks I'll just… wait till later to get mad. He lays down and falls asleep again, but not fitfully, drifting in and out.  
Patryck comes a couple hours later and shakes him awake. “Hey, it's been three hours.”  
“Five more minutes.” He rolls over.  
“Uh, sir? You told me to wake you up now.”  
“... what time is it?”  
“14:33”  
“Wake me at “14:45.”  
Patryck hesitated then nods, going back to his room. Unfortunately Tord can't fall asleep after that, and he slowly sits up.  
“I guess I've gotten enough sleep recently.” He stands up and walks around like a zombie, doing various random things like opening and closing the fridge, and looking through the cabinets full of dishes, and taking his meds, but mostly playing with his robot arm. Did I make it waterproof? He was pretty sure he did. Maybe. He runs a finger under the water and sighs in relief when the water droplets slide right off. “Yaaaaayy.”  
He knows he's delirious. It's the only think keeping him from ordering Paul to take him to the Red Army base to round up everyone who thought he was dead. He would make battle plans to invade that northern Norwegian outpost, and imagine overthrowing the king of Norway- no, BECOMING the king of Norway. No one would question him. They would all be as loyal and fearful of him as his army already knows to be. It would've been a lot easier with that robot. Then he could just-  
Patryck comes in. “Sir, its- oh, you're awake.”  
“I want to go to the base. I want to order people around again.” He glances at Patryck, who looks skeptical.  
“You two don't count. You know me too much. I want my mindless army. I want to hurry my plans so the entire world is under my grip.” He holds his robotic hand in a fist, as though to demonstrate. “Anyone who defies me will be crushed.” He grins, then sighs, dropping his arm. “But I know, I know. I can't go now, so soon after the…” His eyes widen.  
“Oh no.”  
“What?”  
“I have to go back.”  
“Back… where?”  
“To… to my old friends.” He frowns, contemplating. “No, they can't see me like this. I'll worry about it later.” He paces back and forth, thinking out loud. Patryck just watched patiently.  
“I need something to do. Doing nothing is… is…” he staggers, then almost collapses on the ground but Patryck catches him, one arm around his chest and the other under one of Tords arms, holding him up.  
Tord glares at the wall. “I can't even stand by myself right now. Do you see how frustrated I am?!? Get your hands off me!” He pushes Patryck away and staggers, about to fall again, and Patryck steps forward but hesitates. Tord steadied himself, then glares at Patryck.  
“Get me a therapy routine. I need to recover as fast as possible.”  
“Yes sir” Patryck replies, dashing to his room for paper. He mutters to Paul before he goes back out, “He's getting frustrated. He doesn't like his state of body.” And goes back out and sits on the couch, tapping his chin while he thinks.  
“I don't suppose you can do a push-up can you?”  
“Try me.”  
Patryck nods and writes something.  
“Okay, I have a couple things on here. It seems trivial, but you can't get better faster without working into it.” Tord nods, not really listening but muttering under his breath, pacing again but right next to the couch so if he feels dizzy he can lean on it.  
“I'm not a professional, but here you go. Don't do it if you can't, using the oxygen in your blood faster won't help.”  
Tord nods and reads it over.  
“WHAT?!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to write nightmares. Pretty much 100% of this entire fic is made up stuff I know nothing about. Like nightmares, surgeries, sickness, sci-fi robot arms.


	7. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord gets his exercise routine, and left to go walk around, when suddenly a police officer apprehended them. They have to get rid of evidence that Tord lives with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death number one, interrogation next chapter.  
> TOMS NAME MENTIONED!!!  
> I know I said I'd only do one every other day, and I really should be saving these for later, but...  
> I mean...  
> I'm just constantly writing and I know I'm gonna slow down soon, but it's easier to separate chapters by posting them immediately when I think it's long enough. So, yeah, here ya go.  
> (Also... told you it was slow burn, he hasn't even seen Tom face Tom face in this yet. This isn't probably gonna be a REALLY FREAKING LONG fanfic. Prepare yourselves.)

Exercise routine:  
Walk around the apartment 3 times.  
As many push-ups as you can muster.  
Walk around the building again.  
Three push-ups with your one working arm.  
Sit-ups  
Eat a box of leftovers, you need strength.

“I feel HIGHLY insulted.”  
“Try it and prove I suck at this, and you can ask Paul to make you a routine. You know how tough he is.”  
Tord glares at him, then stares at the ground. He gets down in push-up position and tries to do one, but almost falls on the ground. He's already worn out, and he collapses, rolls over, and shouts an angry Norwegian curse.   
“I HATE THIS!!! I WANT TO GO back to how I was! This is Toms fault! I could've been leader of the world by now if it weren't for that bastard!!!” He sits up, leaning on his robot arm.   
“I want to kill him. Personally.”  
“You can't do that if you can even do a push-up.”  
“SHUT UP AND OPEN THE FRONT DOOR! I'm going for a walk.”  
Patryck chuckles and follows his direction. If it was anyone else, he would've been sent to the Red Army jail, a truer nightmare than any other. As it was, Patryck was nervous about making fun of Tord, but his leader was too distracted by his own anger to be angry at Patryck. Tord walks out the door and slams it behind him. Patryck pokes his head out the door. “Do you want me to follow?”  
“NO! LEAVE ME ALO- AGH!” There's a crash as he falls into the bushes, and Patryck pulls his head back in when he hears the stream of curses, quieter than before but still malevolent.  
Paul comes out snickering. “Yeah, I can see why he's so frustrated. He's lucky we're the only ones that saw him, anybody could've happened upon him the day of the crash.”  
“Yeah… though whoever saw him would probably be shot. You know him. So it wouldn't be too big a deal.”  
“True.”  
The doorbell rings, and Patryck opens the door, expecting Tord. But standing at his door is a police officer. Patryck pales, but stands in front of Paul, who he knows will easily give anything away, and leans against the doorframe.   
“Hello sir, how can I help you?”  
Behind him, Paul sneaks into the kitchen, calling Tord. Tord answers.  
“What?!?”  
“There's a PO here. Don't come back yet. But get ready to rush in here.”  
There's silence on the other end.  
“Sir?”  
“I'm coming. But I'll stay out of sight. Don't give me away like you did last time.”  
Paul winces and replies with a “Yes sir” before hanging up.  
“We have heard tell that a dangerous criminal by the name “Tord” has been residing here. I have a warrant to search the house. Please stand aside or I will have to use force.” Patryck tries to hide his smirk and steps aside, and the policeman walks inside, prodding around. One of the first things he sees is the blood on the floor. He writes it down on a notepad and continues searching, wandering into the kitchen. The only windowless “room” in the house, other than the bathroom. Patryck follows closely behind and pulls out his gun, pressing it against the back of the mans head. “I suggest you don't move. I'm really not afraid to shoot you.” Not yet Paul. “Give me your hands and your handcuffs or I'll shoot.”  
The man moves his hand toward his belt, but Patryck sees what he's gonna do ahead of time. Now! Just as the thought passes through his mind, Paul jumps out from behind the fridge, grabbing the policemans wrists and kicking him in the gut, and Patryck shoots both his knees, making him kneel.  
“There, now don't call for backup or we'll shoot you in a less pleasant place.”  
Paul snickers and ties up the man, leaving him on the ground.   
“Go ahead and kill him, we don't need him. Too bad I shot his knees out, he could've been useful in the Red Army.”   
Paul rolls his eyes. “Great, now I HAVE to kill him now you've told him we're in the Red Army.” Paul sighs exasperatedly and shoots him in the head, and the mans desperate struggles cease.  
“Call Red Leader and tell him to-” The door opens, interrupting him, and he glances quickly back, where Tord staggers back in. He looks on the scene.  
“You killed him?” He leans against the wall, looking like he's about to pass out. Paul steps forward but Patryck grabs his elbow and shakes his head.   
“Yeah, Paul killed him.”  
“Please tell me you asked who told him I was here.”  
They glance at each other guiltily. “Er…”  
Tord sighs. “If I could slap you upside the head I would. Always ask where they get their information, I've told you this before. Luckily, through my amazing detective skills, I've already figured it out. Though it would've been nice to be able to confirm it.”  
He staggers over and sits on the counter, staring at the body. “Search him, read his notebook, and Paul in putting you in charge of hiding the body since you killed him. And keep his clothes, stitch them, clean them of blood. We can put them in storage. Then I want you to drive to the base and gather all the documents for my robot. I saw the robot parts, I know exactly what to use them for. Got it?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Sir.”  
“Good. Hurry now. If I'm better by the time you get back then I'll beat the two of you up.” He grins, emphasizing the joke, and Paul rolls his eyes and gets to work examining the body.


	8. Into the Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul disposes of the body while Tord and Patryck go to the base. Patryck kicks everyone out of Tords office and Tord collects his papers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire red army and pretty much everything about it is a headcanon based off the red leader clues in the Eddisodes.  
> Another chapter again! I know I'm going to slow down soon. Just not yet.  
> Also another mention of the crew, and the interrogation I promised will have to happen next chapter. I promise. Actually, it's the next thing I'm writing about. So yeah!

Patryck helps him search then load the body into the car, after wrapping it in the huge plastic wrap they usually carry dead bodies. Paul drives off to dump it in a dumpster behind a restaurant (after fooling the cameras) and comes back to the apartment, where Tord attempts push-ups with his real arm. Paul and Patryck work together to carry the largest scraps from the robot and dump it in the living room for Tord to search through, then Paul carries the officers clothes to the bedroom to be taken care of later.  
“Hey, where in your office are your documents, before I go?” Patryck inquires.  
“Actually I'm coming with you, I have something to do. I'll show you when I get there.” Tord gets to his feet, much more stable than before, and walks outside to sit in the passenger seat of the car.  
“Okay... Hey Paul are you coming?”  
“Nah, I'll take care of stuff here.”  
“We'll be back in about half an hour, I'll call you if we need you.”  
“Okay. See you!” Paul smiles at him and Patryck jokingly pretends to tip an invisible hat at him, an inside joke, before walking out the door. Tord is messing with his robot arm when Patryck gets in, and the sound of metal clinking against metal fills the car the whole drive there.  
As soon as they get there Tord grabs Patrycks sleeve.  
“I want you to go in and make sure no one is in the halls to my office. I can keep up my persona but I want to surprise people. Also, make sure no one is trying to overthrow me. I swear to god if people are trying to overthrow me. Throw them in the prison.”  
Patryck nods, and gets out, leaving the car on. He searches the hallways, ordering a couple stragglers to go elsewhere. He gets to Tords office, a huge room almost in the middle of the compound, and puts in the passcode to get inside. His eyes widen. Three people stare at him, startled from their lockpicking of some of the many cabinets in there. Only one is open, and Patryck pulls out two guns, pointing them at the two closest to the door.  
“Alright guys, you called this on yourself. I swear, every time Red Leader leaves for longer than a day, some mongrels decide to invade his stuff. So, you wanna do this the easy way, or the your-head-blown-off-and-thrown-into-an-incinerator way?” They glance at each other and the one with a gun not trained between his eyebrows slowly inches his hand toward his pocket. Patryck notices, and the next second his blood coats the wall. His body slumps to the ground.  
“I hate cleaning up after you guys. So either come to the Red Army prison or become like this guy.” They exchange horrified glances and one rushes toward Patryck. His body joins the other.  
“Okay okay okay I'm coming!”  
The third soldier raises her hands to her shoulders. “But hear me out first! You don't know what he's doing. He has his own nuclear base right below our-”  
“I know.”  
“Well, he has plans to send an anonymous missile to-”  
“I know.”  
“But-”  
Patryck tilts his head. “Nothing you say can surprise me. I'm his left hand man. I know everything he does. Do come already. I'm getting tired of waiting, and cleaning up bodies is so much less work than taking you to the other side of the compound.”  
She sighs and Patryck taps something on the wall, opening two holes in the wall near where she stands. She puts her hands in it and it closes, cuffing her, and starts moving to escort her out and to the prison. As she passes him he grabs her gun. “Thank you. Have a nice day!”  
The door shuts, and Patryck presses another button that dumps the bodies into an underground incinerator, then deploys robotic arms from the wall to clean it. He goes to the cabinet that was opened and closes it, not worrying about the ones they were picking. There's a system to the office, and only three people know what it is.  
He leaves and fetches Tord, and they make their way through the winding hallways as Patryck tells his story.  
“That's less people than normal. Usually they have at least ten trying to pick the locks or just smash things up.”  
Patryck nods agreement. They go inside and Tord opens his desk drawer after unlocking it, not with a key as it seems, but by scanning his fingerprints on a scanner under the desk. The drawer clicks open, and Tord pulls out a file. “Well, here's the robot pages. Take this, will you?” He passes Patryck the file, and he takes it.  
“Now, this is the other thing I came for.” He stumbles on his way over to a cabinet, and leans on the wall a little. He opens the cabinet the same way, and pulls out two binders, filled with information and pages and pictures. He opens one and breaks out into a big grin.  
“Yeah this is exactly what I need.”  
A picture of Edd on the couch, drinking cola, Tom leaning against it, sitting on the floor, fixing Susan for the thousandth time, and Matt laying with his legs hanging off the arm falls to the floor, and Tord picks it up, putting it in the binder again and slamming it shut. He hands them to Patryck and closes the cabinet, standing up.  
“Lets go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think my grammar deteriorated in this chapter, sorry :(


	9. Tord Kidnaps the Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord gives up studying the files and tells them who tipped the police. They go fetch him and kidnap him, and begin interrogations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the title is spoilers!!! And I planned the whole interrogation for this but uh. It was too long already. Sorry :(

They exit the compound, putting their room on total lockdown so no one breaks in, and drive back to the apartment.  
“Hey guys.” Paul holds up the renewed police uniform.  
“Finished.”  
Tord nods approval. “Put it with the stuff to take to the base when I start working again. Now, Patryck, put the files on the coffee table so I can go through them in a moment, I'm gonna nap. Like the weakling I currently am.” He snorts derisively and lays on the couch.  
“Also, Paul, get me food, I'm starving.”  
Patryck sets up the files and Paul microwaves leftovers, setting them on the couch arm for Tord to eat.  
Paul and Patryck go to their room, leaving Tord alone. He sleeps for about 15 minutes then sleepily sorta through papers. He gingerly touches the bandages on his face, and starts to unwind them. He takes the cloth that numbed his face carefully off, setting it on the couch next to the food, and feels at his face. His eye is still swollen shut, though the rag seemed to have deflated it a little. His face is covered with scabs, though his fingers are still sticky with dried blood. He thinks for a moment, then decides to leave the rag off.  
“PAUL!”  
Paul sticks his head out of the room and into the living room, looking a little flustered for whatever reason.  
“Yes, sir?”  
“Tell me where that doctor is.”  
“Right now?”  
“Yes.”  
Paul searches on his computer.  
“He's on Valleyview road going home.”  
They'd stuck a tracker on Dr.Garrys phone should they need to find him, and Tord definitely had reason to find him.  
“Where was he before he started driving?” There's a moment of silence as Paul searches something up.  
“Oh. Oh I get it now.”  
“Where?”  
“Police station. And he- oh this is bad.”  
“Yeah. I figured. No one else has seen me since the crash. Not even Edds crew.”  
“Yeah…”  
“Alright, we'll catch him at his house. We need to see exactly how many people know about me, and who.”  
Paul brings the tracker into the car and Tord sits in the backseat. “Try to see if you can ambush him before he goes inside.”  
“Okay.” He turns on his police radar and speeds out onto the streets, toward the doctors house.  
“So, uh, I couldn't help but wonder why you took your bandages off.”  
“Because I can handle it. It's scabbed over, it won't infect. And the pain should be bearable, if a little much. Plus I think it looks intimidating.”  
“Honestly, it would probably be more intimidating when it turns to scars, or when your walk matches your looks.”  
Tord is silent.  
“Sorry, I'll keep my opinions to myself.”  
“No, you're right. I don't want to depend on anything right now, that's all. Now I want you to forget I ever poured my feelings-” he shudders. “Out like that and just take us wherever we're going.”  
Paul chuckles as they pull up to the house. “Here we are, he'll be here in approximately a minute and a half.”  
“Okay, pull up to the house two down and get ready to ambush. Make sure he doesn't see you before you quiet him.”  
“With all due respect, sir, we know.”  
“Okay, then do it. Go.”  
They get out of the car and Tord goes around to the side of the house so he can watch. Half a minute after they get in positions a car pulls up to the house and tired Dr. Garry gets out of his car. Tord immediately notes that out of his back pocket is a flyer. A wanted flyer with his face on it.  
“Haha, found you.” Tord evil-whispers under his breath.  
Paul comes up behind him as he walks up the sidewalk and puts an arm around his neck and a hand over his mouth. The doctor drops his things and pulls at the arm, and is quickly dragged into the car and tied in hand and feet cuffs and a gag. He struggles in vain as Tord piles in the back and grins at him. “Hi there Doctor. I'm feeling much better, thanks to you.”  
The doctor looks absolutely terrified.  
“Time for confessions. Paul, help me carry him inside, and Patryck get whatever we need for an interrogation ready.”  
The man struggles harder, trying to get away. Tord leans close. “If you don't stop then I'll just go ahead and kill you, don't think I won’t.” He stops, shaking.  
They pick him up and carry him inside, into an extra room that was supposed to be a bedroom but was converted into a multipurpose room, and was now set up with a single chair and a spotlight for the oppressive effect.  
They sit him in it, tie him in, and shut the door, turning off all the lights except the spotlight, which shines right on him. They take his gag off, and he immediately starts blubbering, pleading.  
“I need to be home my daughter is sick, I need to take care of her please let me go I didn't do anything-”  
“God I want to shoot you. Shut up!” Tord pulls out his gun. “You should be happy with my tolerance if you. You should be THANKING ME.”  
The man quiets.  
“So tell me. How did they know I was here?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Don't play stupid. The police show up on our doorstep having been ‘tipped’ as to where I was. So tell me how they knew, or I'll shoot you.”  
“I-I really don't know what you're talking about. I didn't tell anyone I swear.”  
“Not your wife? Not your children?”  
“I- no!”  
“Lies.” And Tord shoots him in the thigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I noticed there's a couple spelling mistakes (cough autocorrect whyyyy cough) so please try to ignore it, and I'll go back and fix it later.


	10. Interrogation Finish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord finds the truth and kills the doctor, and starts worrying about staying at the apartment. In the middle of the night, he decides to leave and stay at the base, so he does so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three things:  
> 1: PAUL AND PATRYCK INNUENDO  
> 2: Interrogation is smaller and less dramatic than I intended... sorry for the anticlimactic effect.  
> 3: I'm going back and fixing a few things. So this is the ONLY CHAPTER FOR TODAY! Sorry it's a little short, I think.

Tord ignores his scream, as the room was soundproofed long ago. “Next time I'll shoot you in the arm. So, who did you tell?”  
“I didn't tell anyone!!! I'm sorry!!!”  
“Then why did you apologize?”  
“I don't know!!!”  
“Lies.”  
He shoots him again, in the shin instead of the arm like he said.  
“Who did you tell?”  
“I told my supervisor! He made me say why I took the painkillers!!!”  
“Ha. You're close. Next shot is to the head. If you tell me the truth there's always a chance I'll let you live.”  
Fear of death made the words pour out, punctuated by sobs.  
“I saw a wanted poster on the wall it had your face and I knew I had saved a criminals life and told the police and my family and the hospital I'm sorryyyyyyy it won't happen again!!”  
Tord laughs. “No, it won't, because you'll be dead.”  
He waits for the words to register before shooting him in the head, walking out.  
“Alright guys clean up I'm gonna try sit-ups now. And then I'll have to find somewhere else to go, the police know I'm here and you can't get in trouble. I need you two.”  
He ignored their touched looks and starts sit-ups in front of the couch, stopping after each three.  
Paul and Patryck clean up the room and sit on the couch, eating dinner, and Tord joins them.  
“Alright, you guys wiped the police file right?”  
“Of course we did, a while ago.”  
“Sometimes I just feel like I have to check.”  
Paul snorts. “I may be stupid but I'm not that stupid.” Patryck pokes him. “It's not your stupidity he's worried about. It's your reliability.”  
“I'm reliable!”  
“No you're not. I'm reliable. You can carry my stuff and maybe not drop it.”  
Paul punches his shoulder. “Put a little confidence in me!”  
“I'll put something else in you.”  
Paul stares at him.  
“Uh, I mean, like, a bullet or something. So I can find something more reliable. Uh. Hey leader do you have anything you want us to do?”  
Tords eyes widen as he is noticed. “Suuuure uh. Sort those files by date, I only need the ones from April to now. And sort the robot files by size of pieces, I'm working on the biggest things first.”  
Patryck gets to work while Paul organizes the actual pieces of the robot. Tord starts looking through the files, reading and muttering under his breath. He gets a notebook and starts writing notes down about each robot part and what it could be used for.  
“So, I'm going to use these robot parts to make a few enhancements to the car, and a few portable things to carry around, like a gun. As for why? I want to start preparing for invading the countries, because this is taking longer than it should. And tomorrow I'm going to go to the base and round everyone up. As for right now…”  
He sighs. “I'm taking an early night. I need to wake up a little early tomorrow so I can crash the morning assembly and lay Harris off, now that I'm back. So that means leave. You two bickering will keep me up all night. Go to your room and work on stuff, I'm claiming the couch.” Paul and Patryck obediently leave, taking the files but leaving the robot parts. Tord sighs and lays down, falling quickly asleep.  
Tord is woken in the middle of the night by police sirens, and he sits up quickly. They slowly fade away, but Tord still feels uneasy. He stands up and walks into Paul and Patrycks room, slowly opening the door. Paul sits up quickly, swinging a knife, then calms when he sees Tord. Patryck stays asleep.  
“I'm leaving.”  
“Where to?”  
“I'm gonna go to the base.”  
Paul takes a moment to register this and glances at the clock. “It's only 2:00. You don't have to go yet.”  
“I don't want to be caught. Tell Patryck when he wakes up. I'm taking the other car.” Paul sighs and holds a thumbs up.  
“Okay, bring the files and the robot parts to my office, I'll sort through them after the assembly.”  
Paul nods and rolls over, falling asleep again. Tord quietly closes the door and grabs a couple random things, hesitates, then grabs a roll of bandages, going to the bathroom for a mirror and staring at his face. He gently touches it, marveling at just how much of it was destroyed. Then he starts wrapping his face, covering the half of it. His eye was still swollen shut, and since he took off the rag it'd started throbbing again, and stinging if it was hit or stretched too hard. He finishes and stares a little bit more, then sets down the roll and walks out the door. He's about to close the front door when he stops with a groan and steps back in, grabbing the files about Edd, Tom, and Matt. He finally walks out, slamming the door shut. Paul and Patryck own two cars. The one they bring around is their normal one, and blends in with traffic. The other is a sports car, only used on special occasions when they don't need to be undercover. Or when they need to be more undercover than usual. Tord steps in and starts up the car, pulling out onto the streets and speeding onto the highway toward the base.  
“Watch out Red Army, I'm coming back.” He grins, unable to hold back his excitement at having his army again, and floors it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH I FORGOT! I'm going to do a time lapse soon, skip a week. The next chapter is Tord coming back, but it may be the chapter after. It's soon, whenever it is. And then I'll bring in the crew. So yay!


	11. Tord Reasserts Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord comes back to the base and gives a speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is when I pretty much show how my headcanon military structure goes. Yay.  
> It's late, I don't have much you say, and yes I posted three in a day. Goodnight all.

Tord parks in his personal parking garage between the private jet and the helicopter. He presses a button on what looks like a parking meter, and the ground opens and clamps grab each wheel, preventing it from being stolen.  
He goes inside the base, striding proudly. No one would be awake at this time, he knew it, but it felt great to be walking these halls. His halls. He gets to his room opens it, taking it off of lockdown. Throwing the files on his desk, he decided to reprogram the finger touches to accept his robot hand as well. Who knows if he would lose his other hand as well, and changing passcodes requires his fingerprint.   
He opens a drawer that has his spare “Red Leader” uniform, and changes into it. He goes to look at his watch, realized he doesn't have one, and grins.   
The brain chip he put in his mind did a few different things, other than control his arm. It told him the time, for one. The second thing it did was it connected his brain to the nerves connected to the electric nodes, so the electricity would act as nerves, and he would actually FEEL his arms. And it told him the time, the date, and acted as a trigger for the hidden gun in his palm. And a couple other triggers.   
He sits at his desk and lays his head down, falling asleep.  
A couple hours later, around four, he wakes up, as though an internal alarm clock had gone off. It hadn't, he just always woke up around then.   
Tord looks over the papers with pretty much a journal of everything he knows about Edd, Tom, and Matt and what they're good at. He flips to the section about Tom and pores over it, intensely.  
He didn't know what it was that made Tom so easy to pick on, but he found the face of his fear and frustration just too hard not to laugh at. Well, until Tom almost killed him. That pissed him off.  
He would've stood an actual chance of ruling a good part of Europe. And Norway. He could've been bossing people around, not worrying about slipping into someone's defenses, or the stupid police.  
He slams the papers down, too worked up to look at them, and skips to the ones about Edd. He ignores the pang of guilt and flips through them. Edd was very trusting when Tord came back, and welcomed him like his old friend. He didn't even question why he was coming back, despite the cryptic letter.   
What can he say, Paul wrote it.  
And Edd never questioned how he got in.  
Tord already knew how he would get back in.  
Matt was brain dead, except that one time he was a zombie. Ironically.   
Tord was mostly worried about Tom, so with a sigh he flips back.  
Why did he need to get back with them?  
Because, with their skills and luck, he knows they'd be a good edition in his army. They would need to scale up the rank, competing against each level as everyone does. Tord has no doubt they'd make it high in no time, just as he did. Pretty much everyone in the army was pretty dang dumb.   
The thing he was worried about, other than employment, is whether they would take over Paul and Patryck. They were too good to waste. Plus, above all, Tord trusted them. They'd never question him, they did what he said, and they helped him through everything. He may have gotten a little warmer toward them after they helped him recover from the crash. And Tord most definitely did not trust Tom, or Edd. Matt was okay. Matt liked him, and liked himself to much to dislike anyone- although, Tord had punched him in the face. He winces. This will be harder than he thought.  
A buzzer rings through the entire army base, signaling the startup of activity and an hour till assembly. Tord puts his papers in his drawer, locks it, and stands up. Time to prepare a speech. He walks around for about half an hour, then makes his way down the corridor. He travels down the back hallways that only he and a couple stragglers he bumped into once know about. The hallways run throughout the entire base, to the huge cafeteria in the middle, oft used as the assembly room. He goes backstage and flips a gun out easily, pointing it to the sound assistant who stared at him with a shocked white face, then his face morphs to excitement when he realizes who it is.  
“Don't talk.” Tord warns him, and peeks out the curtains. Everyone was already starting to gather. Fifteen minutes till the curtains open and the assembly starts.   
Every Monday morning they would bring everyone in the base and gather in the cafeteria, and Tord would give a summary of the weeks events and what everyone is expected to prepare for. They'd have a couple assemblies during the week as well, but not on a regular basis. Only for preparing for a battle or putting a new rule in place.   
Tord puts his gun away when he confirms that the sound assistant won't give him away, and waits curiously to see what Harris will say when he shows up.   
Which happened a couple minutes later, and resulted in coffee all over the floor and Tord quickly putting him in a chokehold. “Hush. Yes I'm back but I want to announce it, not you. Go back to your position, your time of popularity is over. But for now wait with Greg over there.” He releases Harris, who quickly follows orders. Tord waits, and grins as they finally open the curtains. He steps forward, takes the microphone, and holds up his other arm in welcome, grinning.   
“Hello everyone. Your leader is back.”  
There's silence for a full ten seconds, then an uproar of applause.   
“Oh come on, you can do better than that.”  
The cheering gets louder, and Tord grins as they start throwing random things, like hats or napkins.  
Tord lets it go on for a little, then suddenly frowns at them. “Okay now settle down you boisterous ruffians I've taught you better than this.”  
It gets quiet. “I've only been gone for two weeks at most, jeez. You really can't survive without me. So, I've been gone. As some of you know, I was going and infiltrating a certain past friend group, attempting to get a super weapon that would guarantee my takeover. Unfortunately, my plans were interrupted when a certain black eyed bastard exploded my robot. I got benefits out of it, however.”  
He grins and rolls up his sleeve, holding up his arm in a flexing posture. The appropriate amount of gasps were administered from the crowd.  
“So, now you know that I have survived the almost impossible. And now I have an important reminder.”  
He pulls out his gun and fired into the air. “Some of you seem to forget that I am leader, whether I'm here or not. I want to reassure that all resistance will be crushed. If anyone tries to break into my office while I am gone, or challenge Paul and Patryck without me there to supervise you, you will have a sentence of a year in the prison followed by immediate death. So I suggest you don't even try.”  
The silence is so thick you could cut it with a knife.  
“I am glad I'm understood.”  
A chorus of “Yes, sir” echoes around the room.  
“Good. Now split up into your divisions and I will assign you your tasks for the next invasion, taking place on Saturday.”  
A frenzy of excitement occurs as everybody splits up into groups, the 1st division, or top soldiers, significantly smaller than the 2nd and 3rd division.   
“Soldiers from the third division!!!”  
They stand at attention.  
“I need ten volunteers.”  
After a couple seconds, about fifteen people step forward, then a couple step back, until there are ten.  
“I am putting you on janitor duty.”  
There's a short groan from them. “What, not satisfied? You want more? You're also in charge of cleaning up in the prison after lunch.”  
There's no response this time.  
“Step back. I need ten more volunteers.” The volunteers are slower to come.  
“You're on the front lines for our next charge.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Step back. Everyone else in the third division, you're on guard duty or standby. Understood?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Good.” He walks to the middle of the stage. “Second division, attention.”  
They stand at attention.  
“You're our strategists. Find out where we should strike next, if we're doing a smaller attack. Run it by Paul, Patryck, or the first division, and we will decide from there. Understood?”  
“Yes sir!”  
“At ease. First division.”  
They stand at attention, slightly more strictly than second or third.  
“You're to analyze the strategies that pass by you, and report them to Paul, Patryck, or me. Understood?”  
“Sir yes sir!”  
“You are also going to be our defense in the upcoming siege. Lastly, you are each in charge of your subdivisions, keep track of the soldiers, count fatalities, if we have any. And know when to give the sign to charge or retreat.”  
“Yes sir!”  
“Is everyone understood?!”  
“Yes sir!”  
“Good. One last thing. I will be leaving again as soon as I recover. I have specific new additions I would like to have in our military, and it will take time. No one is to attempt to undermine me without consequences. For the last time, am I understood?”  
“Sir yes sir!”  
“At ease. Everyone is dismissed, go to work.” He drops the microphone and walks backstage, slumping against the wall as soon as he gets back there.   
“God I'm tired.” Harris was gone and the sound assistant had headphones on. Paul and Patryck come backstage and Tord just leans on Patryck. “Take me to my room.”  
Patryck obediently half drags Tord back to his room.   
“Do you think I asserted myself enough?”  
“Yes I do. You looked, for lack of a better term, badass with your bandages and robot arm. I'm impressed, with how difficult it would be to stand after going through your ordeal. I'm sure everyone is nothing less than amazed.”  
“Dang it I'm too weak right now. No one could beat me in a fight, but they certainly will try. I want you two to stay in my room with me and we'll put it on lockdown, putting the stations up so they can ask me questions electronically.”  
“Of course.”  
They reach his room and do exactly as he asked, and the doors lock and the desk becomes a one inch hologram touchscreen. Tord lays his head on the desk, confusing the hologram for a couple seconds before it determines that that's not a finger and ignores.  
“Let me sleep for an hour.”  
“We'll wake you at 10:30.”  
“Sure.” He falls asleep.


	12. Tord Half-Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord learns that his eye is worse than he thought. And talks to his lackeys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS IMPORTANTE!!! I posted chapter 11. I messed up, and posted chapter 11 again but with a longer ending. So I deleted the first one. I POSTED AT ELEVEN AT NIGHT WHAT CAN I SAY?!?  
> So go back and REREAD LAST CHAPTER BEFORE READING THIS ONE  
> Goodness I knew I would suck as an author somehow. HUGE APOLOGIES.  
> For those of you who read the fic after I posted this chapter, you're fine don't worry about it.  
> Okay now second thing. This chapter is sorta short, but the next chapter I'm doing a HUGE TIME LAPSE of about a week. So yeah!

When Tord wakes up, he's alone. A problem must've happened elsewhere that required Paul and Patrycks attention. It's 11:24.  
He picks his head up off the table and winces, as he was sleeping on his bad side. Something feels different. He takes off his bandages, then feels his face with his hand. Everything has fully scabbed over, and when he carefully touches his eye, the swelling is almost all gone.  
But  
He still can't see. It must still be closed. Or something. He runs to the bathroom and looks in the mirror. Yeah, it's closed and quite gross, crusted closed with dried blood. He carefully washes his eye, cleaning it so it isn't sealed shut, but careful not to touch his actual eye. When his eye finally opens, a dull pain he hadn't really noticed spikes, and he yells in mostly surprise and claps a hand to his face. Slowly, carefully, he takes his hand away, prepared to see the bathroom counter. Nothing. He looks up in the mirror, his worried face reflected back at him. A single thin but deep cut leaves a gash in his eye, and his whole eye is red.  
“No. NO!”  
He punches the mirror with his robot hand and shatters it, then puts his hands over his face in despair.  
He lost an eye. His eye was gone. He couldn't see.  
Paul and Patryck rush in, having just gotten back and hearing the crash.  
“I'm sorry sir someone set off an explosion we couldn't wake… you…”  
Patryck bushes Paul's babbling by putting a hand on his shoulder.  
“Sir? What's wrong?”  
Tord pulls his face out of his hands and stares at them, a single tear falling out of each eye. So his tear ducts work. Perfect.  
“Oh my god. When- why didn't the doctor say anything?!?”  
“I don't know.”  
His voice is wavering, and he stares at the shattered mirror. “I'll survive. I had to do without it for this long, I can do for the re-... rest of my life.”  
Paul and Patryck look worriedly at each other. “Could you… make an artificial-”  
“Don't say it. I can't. I don't know how to connect a camera to the visual part of my brain. It's the only thing I didn't work with.”  
He recovers quickly from the shock, and thoughtfully taps his chin. “Maybe I could work with that for the future. Have one of the volunteer janitors clean this up. I'm going to rebansage this.” He gestures at his face. As he walks away, Paul whispers to Patryck. “That is creepy cool, honestly.”  
Patryck shrugs.  
Tord paves restlessly in his office.  
“I can't let people see it. It will be seen as a weakness, used against me.”  
He pauses. “Paul, would wearing something to cover it, like an eyepatch, give me a mystery factor?”  
Paul looks startled. “Uh, some, yeah.”  
“Do you think it would be part of my image?”  
“Probably, as would the arm.”  
“Hmm.”  
He paces again, thinking.  
“Okay. So the number one thing I am NOT doing is getting an eye transplant. Another thing I am not doing is walking around with it uncovered. Something I WOULD do, if I could, is make myself one. Since I can't, I'll just.”  
He turns to Patryck.  
“Wear an eyepatch. And later, if I ever have time, I'll self study vision mechanics.”  
Paul nods uncertainly.  
“So,” he starts, pacing again. “I will continue wearing the bandages for a little while, but I'm taking them off as soon as it heals mostly. I think whatever the doctor gave me made the process faster. Could we replicate that and-”  
His eyes widen and he halts.  
“Oooo that's a good idea I'll have to explore later. Ha!” He grins at them, then it dies a little.  
“Do either of you have an eyepatch?”  
They shake their heads.  
“Dammit I'll have to buy one.”  
He takes a breath. “Alright at some point one of you go somewhere and get an eyepatch. I don't care really how it looks just make sure it's plain black. And not weirdly shaped either.”  
Patryck and Paul nod.  
“Also, I need to go by the prison soon and make sure they're not relaxing the punishments.”  
Paul looks uncomfortable but stays quiet.  
Patryck speaks up. “I can get an eyepatch now…”  
Tord waves a hand. “No rush, I don't need it till I start walking around without bandages.”  
Patryck nods.  
“So. Another thing. When I'm healed, I'm going to attempt to regroup with Edd and them, so I need you to to hold the fort till I'm back. Got it?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Good. Now leave me alone, I need to think.”  
“Yes sir.”  
They walk out. He sits at his desk, hands together, thinking. Then he starts to write an email to Edd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck im so mad at so-tired-I-can-hardly-think me. Huge apologies if you didn't understand and got super confused.


	13. Hello, Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week later, Tord gets fed up with waiting and decides to re-return to his old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE CHAPTER YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!! I WAS SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS, and it went better than I thought. I'm so happy.

\- - - Time lapse - - -  
ONE WEEK LATER  
Tord sits at his desk, mindlessly tapping his pen. Paul and Patryck sit to his left and right, fixing a couple things he told them to do. In front of him was drawn out a map of the apartment complex Edd, Matt, and Tom now live at. His bandages had come off, the patch had come on, and hadn't been taken off since he first strapped it on. He fiddled with the pen, twirling it between his robot fingers. Seven days and he'd already had three attempted assassinations. He sighs. When will they learn?   
It was because of his face, his new weakness, and his greatest strength. They thought him weak, trying to come up on his blind side, but he was always on guard. He glances sideways at Paul.   
Except around them. He could trust them to save his life if needed. They went through many things with him, and never once showed ill intent.   
Plus, he had blackmail.  
Tord chuckles, but his mood quickly goes sour as he remembers the blackmail game he played with Edd and Tom.   
Recently his mind kept circling back to that, causing him to randomly be angry. He slams his pen down and stands up.  
“I need to go back.”  
Paul and Patryck glance quickly at him. “Back where?”  
“To my ‘old friends’” He glares at the wall. “It's been to long and I can't stand it anymore.”  
Inwardly, Paul and Patryck were relieved. It was hard to deal with Tord exploding at them randomly, and it wasn't hard to tell the reason why he did. Paul sets down his wrench and walks toward the door.   
“I'll get the car ready.”  
“No wait.”  
Tord opens the email draft he’d created a week ago, and edited ten times since. An anonymous email telling him to meet Tord at the Green Park, though it never mentions Tords name. His hand shakes as he hovers over the “send” button, uncertain. And he presses it, closing his eye. A ding notifies that it sent, and he lets out his breath. Done, finally.  
He glances at Patryck. “Come with me.”  
He strides out the door, not looking back to see if Patryck follows. He encounters one person in the hallway, who stares at him as though for the first time. Tord snaps at him and jerks his thumb, motioning for him to go away. The third rank scurries away.  
Tord pushes the outer door open and gets into the car already pulled up, closing the door behind him. He puts his elbows on his knees, tapping his fingers nervously. He would never admit it, but the thought of seeing Edd after betraying him worried Tord. “Go to Green Park.”  
Green Park was a fancy name for an unused and overgrown golf field, now used as a normal park. Lots of concerts were held there but in the forest was where most people went. Smack in the middle of the forest was bush art. A huge dragon rearing out of leaved flames, a headless man astride a horse, brandishing a sword. No one knew who made it, but everyone admired it. Tord had a treehouse there, but it was too small and unstable. If he ever needed to be alone, he went past the bushes and through the undergrowth to a little known alcove. Only Edd and the three others knew about it.   
Tord hoped Edd would assume one of the others sent the email. The element of surprise was important.   
They arrive at the park, and Tord gets his old black hoodie from so long ago, putting it on and pulling the hood up. He orders Paul and Patryck back to the base, and to not announce his absence. He expected to back soon, in a couple days at most. He drives himself through the course in a golf cart, stopping at the edge of the forest and making his way to the spot. He pushes past the tourists, through the underbrush, and to the alcove. No one is there. Of course they aren't, it'd take a while to get the email, and drive there. Whereas Tord had gone immediately.  
He settles down, keeping his hood up and his face hidden.   
He waits.  
And waits.  
An hour later he starts to fidget. What if Edd decided not to come? What if he didn't trust some strange email? What if the others convinced him not to go?   
His train of thought persists until, fifteen minutes later, he hears crashing in the undergrowth. He stands up quicky, brushing off his jeans, heart beating as he waits. It gets louder, fifty different scenarios rushing through Tords head, when the one he least expected happened. Tom burst into the clearing, grumbling about twigs in his hair. Tord gapes for a moment, then Edd and Matt come through as well. Tord swallowed nervously. He hated unexpected situations, and this was definitely high on his list. They finally finish brushing themselves off, and stare at Tord, Edd obviously trying to peer under the hood.   
“Edd, I’m not sure we should do this.”  
Tom looks guarded, obviously not trusting of people with hidden faces. And he shouldn't be.   
Edd shrugs. “Too late now.”  
“Show yourself!” Tom commands.  
Tord grins. Showtime. Ish. He reaches his robotic hand up, purposely letting it show, and pulls his hood down, looking up and grinning. His scars twinge as his face stretches, still not fully healed.  
“Hello, old friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW FOR THE BIG QUESTION!!! Should I or should I not put Monster!Tom into this? Please vote in the comments, and I will decide based on amount of votes. If you don't want it, don't feel bad for saying so! I hope you liked this chapter :)


	14. A Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord can stay with Edd on one condition. Tord seethes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEEEE SO TOM EDD AND MATT ARE HERE!!! I'm excited! Sorry this came a little late, there probably won't be another one today. I had a really busy day.  
> IN TWO DAYS I COUNT VOTES!!! PLEASE VOTE IN THE COMMENTS ON CHAPTER THIRTEEN IF YOU WANT MONSTER TOM!!!

Tom takes a step back, trips, and falls backward into the bushes. Edd gapes at Tord, and Matt looks shocked for a moment, then a little grossed out.  
“Your poor FACE! Oh I can't stand this.” He walks away and flirts with the tourists, not too affected otherwise.  
Tom sits up and stares, and Edd finally stops gaping.  
“I thought you were dead!” Edd exclaims.  
“I wished you were dead.” Tom corrects him. “And I don't know how many times I have to tell you I am not your friend.”  
“For once I agree with him.” Edd crosses his arms. “So what are you calling us here for, after you betrayed us? And how the heck did you survive?”  
Wow, straight to the point, as sometimes.  
“Well, you see-”  
“I, for one, will not believe a thing he says. He tried to kill me and exploded our house!” Tom glares at him.  
“And betrayed us.” Edd adds. “But we should hear what he has to say, we won't get anywhere by arguing. But first,” he holds up a hand, stopping Tord from responding. “Tell us how you survived.”  
Tord hated being ordered around. He felt the need to show them who the strongest was. He was more skilled than all of them combined (though matt didn't add much).  
But instead he follows his apologetic cover.  
“I was found by my fellow comrades. They took me to the hospital and performed a surgery, putting an advanced prosthetic on me. It wasn't a totally fatal explosion. It wasn't all that hard to survive.”  
“This is the biggest bs I have ever heard.”  
Edd glances over at Tom, who stands with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed.  
“I dunno Tom, makes sense to me.”  
“Whatever Edd. You'd believe a sock was a shoe if someone told you.”  
“Rude!” Edd looks offended. “It just makes sense! You just refuse to listen to reason even if it slaps you in the face.”  
“Hey, guys, can I tell you why I'm here?” Tord fidgets and looks nervous, inwardly impatient as all get out.  
Edd glares at Tom in a “stop being so irritating” way. Tom pouts.  
“I-I don't have a place to stay.” Tord looks down at his feet. “I got kicked out for what I'd done, and now I have no power, no place to stay, and no money.” He looks away, as though building up his courage.  
“Please- please let me stay with you guys. You're the only ones I know who might actually help me.”  
“Well your answer is no.” Tom sticks his tongue out.  
“Tom I don't want your opinion right now. I'm sorry, you're being irritably stubborn and I can't think.”  
Tom glares at Edd. “Fine I'll just go cry in the bushes over there.” He walks away to said bushes. Edd turns back to Tord.  
“I need a way to know I can trust you. The last time you lived with us you betrayed us.”  
Tord thinks for a moment, pondering his best route of persuasion.  
“I don't know. That may have to come with time. But Edd, please. I don't have anywhere else to go. You're the only one I can ask.”  
Edd thinks long and hard. “Could you give me a few minutes with the others to think about this?”  
Tord is actually nervous now. If he lets Tom influence Edd, there's a high possibility of Tord not getting what he wants. If he tries to stop him, though, Edd will get suspicious. Tord reluctantly nods, and Edd walks out, getting Tom and Matt and huddling at the edge of the clearing. Tord starts fidgeting, then opens a compartment in his arm. He had enough room for it, so why not. He pulls out a screwdriver and loosens then tightens a couple different places. It felt really weird, having a robot arm. He had made it so it fully functioned as a normal arm, with a few enhancements. So the electricity acted as nerves, meaning he could still feel things, when the electricity (nerves) encountered it. Opening his arm, screwing and unscrewing things, putting a screwdriver in storage in his arm; it all felt so odd. Tord, for one, embraced the strange qualities. So when he was nervous, often he would just mess with it, and the sense of doing something along with the odd sensation that came with it helped distract him and calm him. By the time Edd came back, Tom and Matt following, Tord had gotten his clear headedness back, and stood, waiting for the verdict.  
He hoped he didn't have to kidnap them. That would suck.  
“Tord, we've come to a compromise.”  
Tord glances at Tom, who's face is unreadable.  
“You can stay with us, and you'll be staying in my apartment.”  
Tord was relieved. If he had been told to stay with Tom, he didn't know how long his sanity would last.  
“But!”  
Tord waits.  
“We get your arm.”  
Tord holds his breath for a second. “I can't take it off.”  
“What? Why?”  
“Can you take your arm off?!” Tord shoots back at Tom. “I made it specifically so it's embedded into my shoulder. Taking it off would be like ripping one of your arms off.”  
Edd frowns. “I didn't really think of that. I was just thinking like, in movies, where- nevermind.”  
Tord raises his eyebrows, waiting for another compromise.  
“I don't believe you.” Tom challenges. Tord frowns and pulls the neck of his jacket aside, exposing his shoulder. “Look, its grafted onto my shoulder. Need more proof?”  
Tom looks away grumpily, and Tord covers his shoulder again.  
“Fine then.” Edd says. “We came up with a backup anyway.”  
He tries unsuccessfully to smother a laugh. “Toms in charge. See he doesn't trust you, so if he's in charge and gets to boss you around he feels safer.”  
Tord feels anger surge inside him, and struggles to keep his face calm. He looks at Tom and curls his lip.  
“I don't trust him either. I may have hurt him a little but I came out worse than he did. Please don't do this.”  
Edd shrugs, only partly apologetic.  
“That's our agreement.”  
Tord glares at the ground. This was going to be a miserable couple of days.  
Then you'll have them in your army, working for YOU.  
With that reassuring thought, Tord nods. “Okay. I'll do it.”  
Tom grins.


	15. Picnic planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord falls asleep and gets mad at himself, and they plan to go to the "construction site" for a picnic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I guess I'm slowing down. My ideas aren't coming as quickly, so I know what I want to do but I don't know how to GET there. Don't worry, I'll continue, but I may go to posting a chapter a day. I'm also super busy recently so heh...

They go back to the apartments, and already Tom had been a pain in the neck. He told Tord to open the car door for him, and walk behind him, and kiss his shoes. At that point Edd told him to stop being an ass, whether he likes Tord or not, and Tom reluctantly stopped bothering him. Tord silently seethes, seriously wanting to punch Tom. The stupid guy had cost him his arm, his eye, and his strong image. And then he expects to have Tord follow him like a dog.  
Edd, Matt, and Tom settle to watch TV on the couch, which left no room for Tord. He stands awkwardly for a minute before sitting next to the arm, leaning his head against it.   
About an hour later he's woken by Edd.  
“Guys! We should have a picnic! Fun friendly eating outside!”  
Tord turns his face away quickly, and flushes with embarrassment. He fell asleep as soon as he got back with them! Sure, it helped his pretense of apologetic helplessness, but he couldn't believe his lack of caution when someone who had tried to kill him was literally sitting on the couch next to him.  
“I've been needing a tan.” Matt says thoughtfully, stroking his chin.  
“Great! Where should we go?”  
“We should go to that construction site.” Tom replies, grinning.   
“Hey Tord you wanna go?”  
“Uh.” Tord looked surprised at his opinion being asked. “Sure?”  
“Great!” Edd smiles.   
“What construction- okay.” They all started rushing out the door before Tord could finish, and he stands up and follows them. Edd drops back, letting Tom lead them, and starts talking in low tones to Tord.  
“What did you do while you were gone? It's been about a week and a half.”  
“I….” Tord pauses, thinking quickly. He had three stories he still hadn't chosen from, and he decided on one and responded. “I was at the hospital for a week, of course. It took a while to do the surgery. Then they let me out, and I went back to the army where I was. I was pretty high in the ranks, but after getting so ambitious and failing…” he looks away. “They kicked me out. I didn't have anywhere to go.”  
“Remember when you said to me, ‘what would I need friends for when I've got this?’ Really bites you in the butt, doesn't it.”  
Tord frowns at him.  
“Sure.”  
“So now you need friends.”  
Tord looks at him, waiting.   
“So are you gonna come back to us? Give up your ambitions, and just be our friend again?”  
Tord is quiet. This would make it a lot harder to get them to join his army. So Tord decides to open up a little, taking a risk.  
“I don't know. I have always wanted to have the world at my fingertips, be able to change something with one command.” He pauses, then sighs, putting his faux disguise back on. “But… but I can't go at it rationally. Maybe it's unrealistic. My giant robot was destroyed by one flimsy spear.” He looks at his hand, and clenches it. “So I'm giving up. I don't have anything left, I'm at the bottom of the ladder. I don't think I have the willpower to start over from the beginning.” He drops his hand, looking at Edd. Good enough?  
“I see… I'd give you a speech on not giving up but the world doesn't need a dictator.”  
This was getting more and more troublesome. Edd would be way harder to enlist than he thought.  
Tom turns and starts walking backward. “Guys, stop whispering back there. Are we gonna buy food to eat at the picnic, or does someone helpfully have some food stored in their shirt- of course you do.” Edd pulls a picnic basket out of his hoodie with a deep grin. Tord rolls his eyes.   
“Hey Edd. Do I really have to follow what Tom says? I'm not sure it's worth it, I can be homeless.”  
Edd chuckles, waving a hand. “It doesn't really matter to me, you can stay at my place. Just, try not to argue with him too much.” Tord smirks.  
“I will try, but keep in mind that we're at each other's throats LITERALLY. I want to kill him for what he did to me.”  
Tom, speak of the devil, dropped back.  
“Seriously what are you talking with him about?” He inquires of Edd.  
“He's telling me where he was the past week.”  
“Ah, so small talk.”  
“Don't talk about me like I'm not here.” Tord crosses his arms.  
“I'll do what I want, I'm my own person.”  
“Then leave me alone. You don't even like me, so just pretend I'm not here.”   
Tom pokes his cheek and Tord whacks his hand away, glaring.  
“But that would be no fuuuun~” he laughs. Then leans closer. “I know you're not actually here to make up to us.”  
Tord raises his eyebrows. “Then you tell me. Where else would I go?”  
“You must've had friends in the military.”  
Tord looks sideways. “Define friends.”  
“Followers then.”  
Tord sighs. “Everyone rejected me when I screwed up so bad. No one would pity me, even if I had the dignity to ask. I'm a reject. And I got kicked out for my ‘misconduct’.” He sneers the word, emphasizing his dislike.  
“Great so what made you think that we'd take you back, after you destroyed our house.”  
Tord looks away. Tom raises his eyebrows. “Well?”  
“Having been friends with you all for… years.”  
Tom snorts, unconvinced, though somehow more uncertain. “Right. That… may work on the others. But I won't forget that you literally blew up the house trying to kill me. I hold grudges- holy motherboard on mashed potatoes!”  
He trips over his shoelaces, which were untied at some point. And falls right on Tord. Tord surprisedly holds his arms up to catch him, then once he realizes what happened, steps aside, dumping him on the ground.   
“Nice move.” Tord crosses his arms.  
“You can shut up.” Tom says, sitting up, wiping his mouth, and standing up quickly. “Jerk.”  
Tord laughs. “Says the one who's trying to make me his personal slave.”   
Tom just shoves him, and Tord chuckles and starts walking quickly, catching up to the rest.  
“So, what construction site are we going to?”  
“Oh you know, the repair site on the hill- oh.” Edd looks back at Tord, looking nervous. “We've already been to see it a couple times… I don't know if it'll make you feel…”  
Tord waits, apprehension growing.   
“The crash site. Where your robot landed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow I count votes!


	16. Tom and Tord Argue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Tord argue about who has it worse. Tord gets annoyed because a lot of it isn't even true but gen can't say that. Tom acts a little suspiciously then they go to the construction site, where Tom acts stupid and Tord has PTSD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding a new tag for PTSD. I'm really glad you all like this. I had to rewrite the last couple chapters a couple times because it looked all wrong. Now I think the characters still aren't fitting their canon personality, and it bothers me.  
> Tom shows a little... hint of monstrosity.  
> Also, sorta pun.

Something makes Tord stop where he is.  
“No. I can't go back there. I can't.” He clenches his fists.  
Inwardly he's surprised at himself. Since when did this place affect him? It wasn't like it would bite him or anything.  
But he was held back by fear, and it caused him to be held back.  
Don't show your fear, Tord. You have to show your strong front if you ever want to gain their respect.  
Tord shakes his head, trying to push down his panic.  
“Sorry guys, nevermind let’s go.”  
Edd looks uncertain but nods and turns around, leading them.  
Tord still stands there, fists clenched, trying to move. Tom stares at him, waiting.  
“You know it was kinda hard for me to go at first too.”  
Tord glares at him.  
“What? I thought I'd killed a guy. I thought I'd see your body there. I may have hated you and wanted you to die, but my guilty conscience doesn't give up that easily. Also, you know, I don't actually care if you're dead or not. I just want you to leave us alone. But you just keep coming back. It bothers me to no end.”  
Tord rolls his eyes, finally walking forward silently past Tom, who sighs. “And THIS is what I get for being honest. An eye roll and a cold shoulder.”  
“What, you want me to pay attention to you?”  
“Well if I'm talking to you there must be SOME reason, yeah?”  
“I really don't care.”  
“Great! This is how things don't get solved!”  
Tord turns his head toward him. “And what exactly is to be solved? I hate you. You ruined my best chances at ruling the world, you destroyed my arm and eye- uh, face, and you caused three other people to try to kill me in the past week! Not only that, but when I come back, having given up all dreams of world domination, you treat me like I'm the one who ruined your life, instead of the other way around!”  
“You caused it, not me.”  
“Shut up Tom! Gah, I've been wanting to beat your pathetic face in for the past week, but to get on good terms with Edd and Matt again it means you have to be included! You're just the con of the package!”  
“I'm the con?! I'M THE CON?!? I'm the one that has to put up with knowing you want to kill me and yet have to bring you everywhere we go! I'm the one who has to deal with your whining about being kicked out of the poor military and losing everything you had when it's your own. Damn. Fault.”  
Oh, this REALLY pissed Tord off, especially since most of that stuff was necessary lies.  
“And here I was thinking you didn't believe me when nooo you were just looking for the opportunity to rub it in my face! You think you have to put up with a ton but I have to put up with a Tom!”  
“Guys, you should really stop arguing. This is supposed to be a friendly picnic.” Edd comes up and stands only slightly between the two glaring at each other.  
Tom points at Tord.  
“He started this entire thing!! If he hadn't come for his damn robot- he was the one who blew up our house before I even bothered him! The only way I could've started it is- guys, he's a freaking criminal! He's on a wanted poster!”  
Edd sighs. “You've told us this Tom. A million times.”  
“What if he's just staying with us because he wants us to get in trouble when we're caught by the police!”  
Edd puts a hand on his shoulder. “Tom, think about it this way-”  
Tom whacks his hand away, taking a step back, almost as if in a defensive posture. Edd tries again. “He wouldnt up to the park with us if he didn't-” Tom growls at him. Legitimately pulls a real growl from his throat, and holds his hands out like claws. In fact, it sorta did look like claws. And his arms looked kinda hairier than normal. And his eyes- Tom grips his forearms with his hands, as though trying to keep himself under control, and immediately the odd changes disappeared.  
“Forget it. Let's just go.”  
Tord was immediately suspicious. What was that? Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but somehow he didn't think so.  
Tom glared at him and walked ahead, staying quiet the rest of the way there.  
Edd stays with Tord.  
“I'm trying to help you. But please try not to argue with Tom so much.”  
Tord sighs. “He acts like he has it so hard, when I had everything ripped from me. What's so hard to understand? I know why he hates me. I picked him to be our scapegoat. He was the one we played pranks on. The punchline of our jokes.  
But why does he think it's any harder for him than it is for me?”  
Tord was getting pretty good at this. The more he said it, the easier it was to act it. His strive to stay in command constantly nagged at him, like an itch, but he pushed it aside for the pure purpose of gaining his “old friends”.  
Edd shrugs. “I dunno. We're here.” Tord looks up quickly. A huge taped off hill,wreckage dusted all over it, looms in front of them. Bulldozers work inside, picking up pieces and carrying them to a pile. Tord winces and looks away. His poor robot.  
He walks inside, stepping over the tape. Tom rushes ahead, standing in a patch of dirt next to a crane. “Hey guys! Look, it's a- Holy yeast on yam bread!” He does a limbo move to avoid getting smashed by the hook on the end of the crane. “Guys did you see tha-” the hook swings back and hits him upside the head, and he faceplants in the dirt. Tord facepalms with a chuckle.  
“Classic stupid Tom.”  
He walks forward, easily avoiding the hook, and grabs Toms ankle, pulling him out of the way.  
“He's unconscious.” He tells Edd, who had run toward them to check.  
“Okay. Well, we have food. Let's go to the top of the hill.” He and Matt go there and Tord follows, dragging Tom.  
The top of the hill was one of the few untouched places, still covered in grass and robot debris. And a small dried pool of blood in one place.  
As soon as he gets to the top, and sees the view, Tord is flooded with vivid memories of the crash. The sound of the harpoon piercing the robot, the realization that he was hundreds of feet in the air and about to fall, the warning sirens, the explosion itself. Flung down and crashing to the ground, debris raining on him and he doesn't know if it'll crush him. Waiting before pushing the debris off him, his arm shredded.  
He drops Toms foot and grabs his head, trying to dispel the images.  
The defense mechanism. Edd saying “I thought we were friends.” The feeling of power when he saw the look on his friends faces.  
Tords legs can't seem to support him anymore and he falls on his knees.  
“Tord? Are you okay?”  
Looking over the hill, feeling dead. Sort of wishing he was.  
Losing vision in his eye when it was cut by a shard of glass, as he fell toward the earth.  
Realizing he would survive. But at what cost?  
Tord shakes his head, and the memories suddenly stop. He looks up at Edd, who's hand was on his shoulder, and realizes he's shaking. He quickly puts a hand to his face, and sighs with relief when he isn't crying.  
“I'm fine Edd.”  
“You don't look fi-” Tord pushes his hand away. “I'm FINE.”  
“Okay.” Edd goes back to where he was sitting and picks up a half eaten sandwich. Tord shakily stands up and plops next to him, picking up an apple and staring at it before putting it down.  
“I'm not hungry.”  
“Okay.”


	17. Interrogation and Compromise part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom wakes up. Zombie matts begin crowding up, and Tord questions Toms slight monster lapse.  
> And Tord realizes why he hates Tom so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, lots of short sentences near the end, sorry.   
> And paragraph breaks.  
> And... stuff.  
> And second chapter in a day AGAIN.

“More for me!” Matt grabs his apple and eats it, and Tord rolls his eyes.  
“Sure.” He looks over at Tom.  
“Is he gonna wake up?”  
“Yeah, just give it time. Aaaany second now.” He looks over at Tom, who doesn't move. “Ah, it was worth a try.”  
Tord holds up how robotic arm, staring at it. Is he really weak? Is he really affected just by being in the area of his catastrophy? He ran his robot hand through his hair. His weakness pissed him off. Everything weak about him pissed him off. Why did he have to be affected like that? Stupid human feelings. He hated it.   
“Hey, what's that?”  
Edd points at a green glow in the distance.   
“Eh, probably another zombie invasion.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Great, we needed another one of those.”  
Tom groans and sits up, hand to his head.  
“Ugh what-* he spits dirt out of his mouth and Tord laughs.  
“What happened?! Did I get drunk again?”  
He looks over at Tord.  
“Oh wait no. I got hit by that thing.”  
He crawls over and grabs a sandwich. “Juuuust lovely.” He eats half of it in one bite.  
“So-” he mumbles. “What'd I miss?”  
“Nothing!” Tord says quickly. “We just came over here and set up the picnic.”  
“And Tord had that weird reaction to being over here.”  
“Shut up Edd!”  
Tords hand automatically goes to his arm, and Tom notices it.   
“Was this where you landed?” Tom inquires curiously.  
“It's none of your business.”  
“Tord. Your blood is over there. I'm pretty sure I was right.”  
“Shut up.” Tord is quieter, trying not to remember.  
“Ha! I was! Must suck.”   
“No. Tom I'm serious shut up.”  
“Tom, stop it. I don't want another argument.”   
Tom glares at Edd. “Fine.”  
Silence reigns for a minute. “What happened to that harpoon gun?” Tord asks, wondering so he can avoid it and never see it again.  
“They tried fixing it but after the house exploded and shooting it again it just sorta… broke apart.”  
“Hey guys look! It's me!”  
Matt comes back and everyone jumps. He'd left without anyone even noticing, and held ice cream cones in each hand.  
Tom pointed. “Where did you get that?”  
“Some nice ugly lady gave it to me. Sorry, she only gave me three, for me, myself, and I. I ate one already. But that doesn't matter!”  
He waves his cone like a baton.  
“Guys, there's a bunch of me!”  
“And what is that supposed to mean?”  
Matt points, and everyone turns to look. A crowd of zombie Matt lookalikes are gathered in the Green Park.   
Tord narrows his eyes. “Lovely.”  
“I know right!”  
“He's being sarcastic.” Edd rolls his eyes.  
“Oh. Well, I think I'm beautiful.” He straightens his jacket indignantly.  
“Not half dead you aren't.” Edd recants.  
“You just don't understand beauty when you see it.”   
Tord pokes Toms shoulder and jerks his thumb to a place a few feet away. “I have a question.” He whispers, while Edd and Matt argue.  
“Oh is that so? Too bad for you.”  
He stays put, and Tord rolls his eyes, knowing exactly how to deal with this kind of situation.   
“Alright, well I'm gonna go over there, you come if you want to listen to me.” He walks away, and Tom snorts, turning away. Tord waits. Tom finally throws up his arms and walks over. “Okay, what?”  
“How did you growl like that, back there?”  
Tom has an immediate defensive reaction, narrowing his eyes and taking a step back, tensed up.   
“It doesn't matter. I'm good at imitating a growl. I've gotten used to doing it when I'm upset.”  
Tord raises his eyebrow. So there IS something!  
“Is that all that was?”  
“Yes!” He snaps.  
“Then why are you so defensive?”  
“Because you're interrogating me! I'm leaving.” He starts to walk away. Tord grabs his arm and spins him around.   
“I'm curious though, and there's something you're hiding.”  
“I'm not the only one, now am I? You're here to do something to us and I'm not falling for it.”  
“I'm not going to do anything to you guys. You want to know why I'm here? I need you all. Being with you keeps me from being captured by the police. Being with you guys gives me food that I don't have to buy myself. It gives me a house, and people I can call “friends”, even if you are just reluctant house hosts.”  
“Hmm. So you're just helpless.”  
“I really really want to contradict you right now.”  
Tom grins.  
“So you'd do anything to stay, eh?”  
Uh oh. Here comes what Tord had been worried about since they made the compromise.   
“Eh… most things?” He fidgets nervously with his hands.  
“So you'd even…” Tom grins. “Show me your eye?”  
Tord tenses. He hadn't shown it to anybody except Paul and Patryck, and he hated it. It made him feel weaker to know that his eye was unusable.  
“I… would.”  
“And you'd stay at my place instead of Edds?”  
“What? Why?”  
“Just answer the question Tord.”  
“Fine, if you wanted me to, I guess?”  
He knows Tom wouldn't actually do that. They hated the sight of each other.  
“Great, those are my conditions.”   
“What?!? Why?!”  
“Because I want to shiv you in the middle of the night.”  
Tord glares at him.  
“Okay fine, and because I'm trying to protect Edd and Matt from you out of the kind caring part of my heart. Happy?”  
The first one sounded more credible.  
“What else?”  
“I suppose you're just going to have to see, aren't you?”  
Well this was a risk. A huge one.  
He had no idea what Tom wanted him at his place for. He had a couple guesses, but they only made sense for Tord to do himself.  
Interrogate him for information.  
Kill him.  
Search his stuff while he was asleep.   
And- no, Tord wasn't even going to go there.  
Bad.  
But if it was Tom…  
Maybe just harass him for what Tord did to him, stealing his room and kicking him out of the house and picking on him. And trying to kill him, Tord did do that. Why did he hate Tom, before Tom destroyed his robot?  
Because Tom was too smart. Too strong. He had the potential to become what Tord was. To triumph over him.  
And as soon as the thought came to his mind, as unbidden as it was, Tord understood.  
They were rivals.  
Tom was the only one who could beat him.  
And some sort of emotion budded, rooting in Tords gut.  
Some sort of… determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry monster Tom will come to flourish soon. I'm a bit impatient to write about him XD


	18. Tord Prepares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just idle conversation, then Tord shows his eye off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapter summaries suck. I may just stop it.  
> My chapter endings suck. But I already ended it XD  
> Anyway, enjoy!  
> MONSTER TOM NEXT CHAPTER I think.

“Yeah I suppose so.”  
Edd comes over. “So what are you two doing? More arguing, I'm sure.”  
“Nah, just more compromising. He's gonna stay at my place. And he's gonna show me whats under that eyepatch of his.”  
Edd glances quickly at him.  
“You agreed to that?”  
Tord shrugs. “I don't care about the first one. The second one…” he winces. “I only planned to show him.”  
“Really… so what's under there?”  
“Just… my eye…?”  
“Yeah but why's it covered up?”  
“Because I cut my eyelids off that's why.”  
Edd looks shocked, and Tord rolls his eyes.“I'm being sarcastic because it's none of your business.”  
“Oh. Are you gonna show him now or later?”   
“Whenever it's not like it'll take more than a second.” Edd sighs. “Fine I'll just see myself over to listen to Matt talk about his various mirror configuration ideas. Instead of letting him go meet his clones like I did already.”  
Tord glances where Matt had been standing. “Why did you let him do that?”  
“Because he practically begged me.”  
“You do realize they're zombies, right?”  
“Oh yeah.”  
They go up to the crest of the hill and watch Matt go down. “Hey Matt, you realize they're zombies right?”  
“Indubitably.” He calls back. “But I'm one of them, though I am by far more handsome.”  
Tord sighs and does the necessary facepalm. “Are we just gonna leave him be?”  
“Eh. He'll be fine.” Edd shrugs.  
Tord turns around. “I've had enough of this place, let's just go.”   
“But why? What about our picnic?”  
Tord frowns at him. “It’s already sunset.”  
Edd looks off into the horizon. “Oh. Well. Maybe we should be heading back.”  
Tom turns and starts walking away without a word.  
“I guess Tom agrees.”  
“The sooner I can get drunk and go to sleep the better.”  
Tom holds up a bottle of Smirnoff. “Cheers.”  
He begins drinking. Tord follows, Edd behind him, and Matt noticed them leaving and ran to catch up to them. “Guys! Don't just leave me behind!”  
Edd glances at Tord. “Have you seen all of our places yet?”  
“Your apartments? No, only yours.”  
“Then I can't joke about you staying with Matt. His place is full of statues and pictures of himself, and mirrors. And classical music.”  
“I would not survive. I probably won't survive Toms place as it is.”  
“What is it between you two? I know the whole trying to kill each other and him destroying your arm but… why did you hate each other before?”  
Tord debates telling him. On one hand, it would answer his question. On the other, he wasn't sure he wanted Edd to know that Tom had the chance of being his weakness.  
“It's just… we're rivals. To be honest, he's a pretty strong rival. As he proved.” He holds his robot hand up.  
“Can I see your eye?”  
Tord glances quickly at Edd, surprised by the sudden question. ”Er… I… suppose.”  
His hand goes up to his eyepatch and he feels oddly nervous, fidgeting, then lifts up the eyepatch. Edd looks curiously and his eyes widen. “Woah that's bad.” Tord quickly drops it back down. “Don't think I don't know that. If I had learned about vision mechanics and knew how to make the camera connect to my visual nerves I would've made myself an eye to go along with my arm.”  
“Ah. That sounds really complicated and I wasn't really paying attention.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”  
“Does it hurt?”  
“No!” Tord sighs. “Sometimes. But it's not a big deal it doesn't- Tom stop it.” He turns when he senses Tom trying to sneak up on his bad side. “It's not funny.”   
Tom snaps his fingers. “So close. So can I see it now?”  
“No. When we get back.”  
“Can iiiiiiii see it?” Matt inquires, joining in.  
“No! Stop it!” Tord covers his eyepatch with his hand, defensively, and steps away from them. Tom follows, walking backward in front of him. “Oh come on Tord, why not?” He grabs Tords hand and pulls it away, reaching his other hand for Tords eyepatch. Tord grabs his wrist.   
“Stop it Tom.”   
“Then show me yourself.”  
He grins and Tord realizes he's drunk already. “How much did you drink so far?”  
“Just half a bottle. Tord stop changing the subject.” Tord glares at him then flips his eyepatch up.  
“Happy?”  
“It looks weird. Your eye is all cloudy. And giant cut. Weeeiiird.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and Tom yelps, jumping back. “I know already Tom.”  
“You rolled it! It moves!”   
“Well yeah? The muscles behind the eye weren't cut, just the iris and pupil.”  
“Oh. Boring. It looks cool.”  
Tord raises his eyebrow skeptically.  
“What?! I'm serious. It looks badass.” He grins and walks toward Edd, going quiet.  
Tord lags behind, thinking. Maybe Tom forgot that Tord was supposed to stay with him. He could just stay with Edd.   
But…  
If he stayed with Tom, especially while he was drunk like this, he could maybe find a few things out.   
Why he was growling. Tord was skeptical about it and didn't think it was just a quirk, but he knew that if he brought it up with the others it could sound really dumb and superstitious.   
He stopped for just a second as he had an idea. He debated the costs if he was wrong, and deemed it worth it.  
Another thing was that he needed to go back tomorrow. He NEEDED to be the leader again. He hated having others boss him around. He felt addicted to being in charge. He knew he could take charge of them, but if worst came to worst he would do what he had to. Tomorrow he thought. Tomorrow I'll run the idea of joining my army by them. He smirks and lengthens his strides, walking silently next to Tom, Edd, and Matt. Edd and Matt had gotten into an argument about cola-scented perfume. Tom attempts to pour his bottle of Smirnoff into his flask, dumping most of it on the ground, then drinks from the flask.  
“Tom just drink straight from the bottle, it's not like anyone else is using it.”  
“ ‘ve got it.”  
“If you say so.” They get to the apartments and Edd breaks away first, waving goodbye. Matt breaks off next, and Tom and Tord walk in silence.  
“You're drunk.”  
“M not. I nunno what your talnking abut.”  
“You are not even speaking right now. You're mumbling.”  
“Mnot” Tom mumbles, opening the door to his apartment.  
“Why… don't you have… okay, I know I'm repeating myself, but what happened to the chairs? Why are they all wooden?”  
“I have thing gainst them cuz of you.”  
Tom sits in one of said chairs and puts his elbows on his knees, taking a sip from his flask. Tord sighs, then decides to go ahead and try what he thought of earlier. He walked up to Tom and grabbed the flask out of his hand.  
“Hey! Giv it backkkk.”  
“I don't think so.” Tord dumps the alcohol on the ground, dropping the flask on top of the puddle.


	19. Monster Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord goads Tom into morphing, and they fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FUN IT WAS TO WRITE THIS!! I was so excited. May have been a bit too detailed on Monster Toms looks, but whatever. Yes, Tord claims ownership of him, but it won't much change how they act. A little, but only 30% maybe.

“NO!” Tom lunges off the couch onto his knees, as though to catch the flask. “What the hell? That was my only bottle!”  
Tord snorts derisively. “That was less than you spilled trying to pour it in there.”  
“So? That stuff is expensive! Just leave me alone Trod. Todd. T- whatever! Leave!”  
“How bout you stop bossing me around?”  
“Well s’too bad because if yuuu don't do what eh’say then Ima kick yu out.”  
“What if I don't care?”  
“Leave meh alon!”  
“No.”  
“Tord!” Tom scrambles to his feet. “Go.”  
“No” Tord replies nonchalantly.  
“Leave!”  
“Nah.”  
“I'm gonna punch you if you don't”  
“I doubt you could punch a pillow more than an inch.”  
Toms flares indignantly, stepping forward.  
“Leeeeve!”  
“No.”  
Tom lunges at him, fist raised. Tord easily grabs his fist and spins around, walking forward a little and shoving Tom against the wall.  
“Lemme go!”  
“No.”  
Tord smirks and grabs Toms throat with his robotic hand, pinning him higher up the wall, so that his feet dangle an inch off the ground. Tom struggles against his hand.  
“Lemme go!”  
“I said no already.”  
Tord leans in, his face inches from Toms. “I'm going to tell you a bit about me. You were right. I'm not here because I'm needy or helpless.”  
Tom pulls at his hand, choking angrily.  
“I'm here because I need you guys in my army.”  
Toms eyes widen.  
“Yeah, I was never kicked out of the military. I never left. Hell, I'm the leader of the army. I'd like to see them TRY to kick me out.”  
Tom struggles more violently, kicking Tords legs. Tord ignores it.  
“I'm the most important person you had the pleasure of meeting. And I'm tired of you bossing me around.”  
Tom glares at him, and a growl rips from his throat.  
“Hahaaa there it is!” Tord grins at him. “I'm willing to bet there's more behind that, isn't there?”  
Tom shuts his eyes, and starts to pull Tords fingers away. Tord lets go and backs away quickly, startled. His arm was the strongest piece of his body, able to bend metal. Tom should not have been able to open his hand.  
Tom drops to his hands and knees, looking like he was in pain, coughing and holding his throat. He looks up and glares at Tord.  
His eyes.  
They weren't black. They were purple, almost glowing.  
He growls again, then grips his head with his clawed hands, swaying back and forth. Horns erupted from the top of his head, curling forward.  
Fur grew along arms, which start to bulge, only slightly, and Tom shouts, his voice hoarse.  
“I hate you! I hate you Tord!”  
His voice changes, becoming incomprehensibly gruff, and his teeth morph, canines lengthening, teeth sharpening.  
Sitting in front of Tord, on all fours, was a monster. A slightly humanoid monster. To top it all off, a thick tail lashes back and forth, and Tom growls at him.  
Tords eyes shine. “Yes!” He whispered. “This is what I-” he jumps aside and shouts a curse in Norwegian as the monster leapt at him, landed, and leapt at him again. His claws caught and ripped his jacket, but didn't damage Tords robot arm. Tord grins, jerking said arm, and a blade slides out from his wrist, two feet long. He slices toward the monster, who jumps back and roars at him.  
He leaps again, and Tord sidesteps, shoving him down with his foot. Tom scrabbled at the floor, then flips over, pinning Tord under him, and roars again. Tord takes the opportunity to stab him in the shoulder, not at all surprised when the sword barely sinks in. Tom leaps off and whimpers, then leaps at him once again. Tord grabs him by the jacket, ripped at the forearms and tighter against his body but otherwise intact, and throws him on his back, stabbing his abdomen. Tom shouts and grabs his shoulder, throwing him off, and Tord lands on his feet and one hand, standing up.  
“Ho yeah! It has been way too long since I've had a fight like this!”  
Tom stalks slowly toward him, and Tord beckons with his hand, smirking. Suddenly Tom leaps at him and his claws barely scrape against the bad side of Tords face- and cuts te eyepatch right off. Mutilating it.  
Tord shouts in anger as his not quite healed cuts sting, and cups a hand over his eye.  
He glares at Tom. This was getting serious.  
Tom leapt at him, and Tord dodged, only to realize that Tom was leaping behind him to attack him from the back. Tord starts to whip around when he's slammed against the floor, catching himself with his arm and quickly turning over, swiping at Tom and cutting deeply into his face.  
Tom roars and his clawed- it was more of a paw, really- covers his cut.  
“Now we're even. Ha. Not even close.” Tord scrambles up and stabs the distracted monster between the shoulder blades, the sword sinking in an inch and a half. He grips Toms sides with his knees as he thrashes, and pushes it in father. Tom screams, struggling to get away. Tord pulls out and slashes his back, cutting as deeply as he can. Tom screams again and shakes himself violently, throwing Tord off.  
Tord lands on his side and scrambles up again, holding his bloodied sword threateningly. Tom snaps his teeth at him, pacing back and forth. Tord steps forward and Tom jumps back, still pacing, tail lashing. He darts forward and Tord stabs into his shoulder, pushing down. Tom whimpers and crouches down as though trying to escape. Tord pushes harder, and Tom flattens to the ground. As they'd fought Tom seemed to morph more and more animalistic, so when he crouched down his knees bent back like an animals. Tord puts a foot on his shoulder, using it to pull out the sword, and leans down.  
“That's what I thought.” He's panting for breath but grinning, and Tom looks up at him.  
“I'm your boss. I'm the one you listen to. If you do anything, it's because I SAID TO. You don't listen to anyone but me.”  
Tom growls at him.  
“No.” Tord holds up the sword and Tom whimpers, backing up. “Stop.” Tom stops, and slowly starts to morph back from his angry stage. His claws, horns, teeth, and tail remain, but he sits on his knees and ducks his head.  
“You're mine now.” Tord grins.  
He has a weapon now. And a way to get Tom to join his army willingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked my monster Tom! Okay. So I decided to read everyone else's fanfics, or those of you who want me to. So if you want me to read your fanfic, please comment below with your fanfics title and I will go and read it when I have time to do so!  
> Please tell me if it's finished or continuing.


	20. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord and Tom converse without tearing each other's heads off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is boring sorry.

Tom passed out as soon as he regained his own form, so Tords curiosity about pretty much everything had to wait to be satiated.  
He carried Tom onto a wooden bench in the living room, waiting to see if Tom would wake up, to no avail. He pulled up a chair to wait and eventually falls asleep.  
He wakes up in the middle of the night. To his mortification when he opened his eyes, he was resting his head on Toms stomach. He sat up and glanced at Tom, then jumped when he sees Toms eyes open. Tom laughs then puts a hand to his head.  
“Ah owwww what happened?”  
“Uh. Um. Uh. Good morning, uh, Tom.”  
Tom looks at him curiously.   
“I got drunk didn't I- AGH!”  
He sits up quickly, holding his shoulder, then sees his jacket ripped up, the cut in his arm, and pales.  
“Ohhhh no no no no no. Oh no Tord seriously what happened?! God what the hell did I do?”  
“You don't remember?”  
“Well… I was drunk off my butt and so no I have blurry images but nothing substantial.”  
“Um.”  
Tom stares at him.  
“You uh.”  
Tord fidgets a little. If Tom didn't remember, then Tord doesn't even have to tell him that he's not here for their help.  
There were so many pros and cons, Tord wasn't sure what to say.  
“Will you remember what happened when you were a monster if you become a monster again?”  
“Oh god no.”  
Tom covers his face with his hands.  
“Oh kill me now. Please.”  
Tord waits.  
“Tord what did I do?”  
“Attacked me.”  
“Why though? What made me so mad?”  
“Aha! So it is anger that causes it.”  
Tom glares at him.  
“I just… sorta… dumped out your drink, wouldn't leave when you told me to, and uh. Told you stuff. About me. That made you mad.”  
“What in the heck could you tell me that would make me that freaking mad?”  
“Um. Do you really want me to tell you again?”  
“You know what? You're right. I don't want to know.” And yet he looks like he's dying of curiosity.  
“So how did you get away with just a scratch? And… did I by any chance take off your eyepatch?” Tord hand goes to his eye and he curses.  
“I just… I'm really good at fighting. Because military skills.”  
“Okay… but how?”  
“I uh. Cut you up pretty bad.”  
Tom glares at him. “Trust me, I know.” He glances at the floor, hardwood thankfully, covered in drops of blood.  
“I can feel it on my back and…” he touches his cheek, which has a red welt but not too bad. “This will be gone in a little bit. But you STABBED my BACK! And my SHOULDER!”  
“What did you expect me to do? You were trying to kill me!”  
Tom stares his dead in the eyes- at least, Tord thought he was. You could never really tell with Toms eyes.- and said “Let me kill you.”  
Tord rolls his eyes, ignoring Toms cringe at his dead eye.  
“Right, cause I'm suicidal.”   
Tom grins at him, and Tord raises an eyebrow.   
“What?”  
“You're cute when you're asleep.”  
He laughs as Tord punches his elbow, the closest thing to him.  
“Stop it. I'm tired of you making fun of me.”  
“What if I wasn't making fun?”   
“Then you can put a filter between your brain and mouth and stop saying weird drunk things.”  
“Well I mean. I'm not fully sober yet.”  
“True.”  
There an uncomfortable silence.  
“So, why did you always hate me?” Tord asks.  
“You mean before you came back and used me as entertainment and exploded my house?” He thinks for a moment. “You were too… gung ho. Whereas I always just want to sit back and relax, you're always exploding things, and it pissed me off.”  
“I see…”  
Another uncomfortable silence.  
“So when did you become a monster?”  
“Since Edd became a superhero.”  
He sighs.  
“I theorize that it's the radiation mixed with getting attacked by that monster thing.”  
“When did you first find out?”  
“Well only twice before. When I walked out after you came back. I went to an alley and changed, and tore some posters off the wall. But then… the time after the monster attacked, I joined it on a rampage. For a little while. Then changed back, and remembered, and freaked out. By the time I came back, no one knew. They just knew about the one monster.  
But that time, I changed all the way, instead of halfway.”  
“When you changed last night, you said “I hate you.” A lot.”  
“Well I mean. I do.”  
“Why are we talking so civilizedly?”  
“That was a complicated word I'm pretty sure doesn't exist and I don't know. I guess because you're not pissing me off right now.”  
“Right.” Tord rolls his eyes again. “Because you're the only one that gets pissed off-”  
“Holy clamshells on cocooned coconuts! I remember what pissed me off!” He laughs. “Wow. Wow you're conning us. I forgot how, but I remember the betrayal.”  
Tord sighs. “Lovely. I only did that so I could figure out what your growly thing really was.”  
“Really? So you turned me to a monster using a lie?”  
“... maybe.”  
“Wow! I am getting really pissed off now!”  
“Not as pissed off as before, surely.”  
Tom glares at him. “Get out of my apartment. You can sleep in the hall.”  
“No.”  
“Why does that sound so familiar?”  
“Because you did that when you were drunk.”  
“Oh. Well then stay in here I guess but you can sleep on the floor.”  
“You seem comfortable enough I'll just go sleep on your bed and you can stay he- okay.”  
Tom whipped out a random corkscrew (probably for his numerous cork topped bottles) and holds it threateningly at Tords second eye. Tord sighs and lays down on the floor, and Tom stalks away into his room. Tord fell asleep feeling content about his new blackmail over Tom, and worried about Toms influence over him.


	21. Tord Attempt 1 at Employing Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord tells Tom he has somewhere to go, and that he'll tell Tom if Tom joins the military. Which he does. For whatever reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is spiraling into a boring direction so I put a new spin on it.   
> Coming next chapter.

“Tord wake up. Seriously. You're scaring me.”  
Tord wakes up with a jolt, sees Tom hovering over him, and punches him in the face.  
Tom stumbles back, hand to his jaw. “Ow! What was that for?!”  
“I don't like people hovering over me.”  
Tom frowns at him. “Could you find a better way to tell me than punching me in the face?”  
“No because, for the record, I enjoy punching you in the face. Plus, you'll remember not to hover over me.”  
Tom sighs. “Whatever. You were having a nightmare, I think, so I woke you up.”  
“Okay.”  
“Now that you're awake, can you please explain to me the bruises on my neck?” Tom rubs his throat with a wince. Tord tries to stifle a smirk.  
“Uh. I may have choked you at one point.”  
“After we started fighting. Right?”  
Tord looks away. “Yeah.”  
“Great, so how are we going to explain that to the others.”  
“We… oh no.”  
“Exactly. Thanks a lot.” Tom glares at him.  
“We could just tell them we were fighting. Because we were. And just not go into details about you being a monster and stuff.” Tord sits up, leaning on one of his hands.  
“Yeah, sure.”  
“Dangit I usually plan these things out.” He puts a hand to his head. “What happened to my planning? Being with you guys messes my thinking up.”  
“Great, I'm going to let you figure out your-”  
“Wait.”  
Tord stands up.  
“Tell the others that I got a call from a friend in the military who's dying. I have to go.”  
Tom narrows his eyes suspiciously. “Go where?”  
Tord looks away. “Don't worry about it.”  
“Tord it's my business where you go. Especially if you want me to let you back in here.”  
Tord stares at him, pondering.  
“You could come with me, I suppose.”  
Toms eyes widen. “Where are you going?”  
“See that's the thing.”  
Tord can't believe he's doing this. It's too early. He hasn't gained Toms trust yet. He should really not do this.  
“If you come with me, you have to sign up to be in the Red Army. And I can't tell you more until you do.”  
Tom stares at him. “You actually expect me to do that?”  
Tord shrugs. “I mean, yeah. If you're curious enough.”  
Tom sighs. “I hate you. I hate you a lot. Fine, I'll join the stupid military. I am a cat and the curiosity is killing me.”  
Tord grins.  
“It's not a short term contract.”  
“I can deal.”  
“Your grave.”   
“I thought you were trying to convince me!” Tord laughs and opens the door. “Well, come on then.”   
Tom glares at him and walks out the door, following Tord. Tord swipes his hand along his forearm, and a screen appears. He sends a message to Paul and leaves the apartment, standing on the sidewalk. Tom stands next to him.  
“So what exactly is this military like?”   
Tord thinks for a moment. “There are divisions, you'll start in the lowest one. To advance you have to compete against someone from the next division and then you join it. It's pretty strict.”  
“How high did you get?”  
“Lets see… about five foot ten and-”  
“Jerk. I mean in the rankings.”  
Tord goes quiet.  
“Looks like you'll have to wait to find out.” A car pulls up to the curb and Paul opens the passenger door, about to say something, but Tord interrupts him.  
“We'll sit in the back, and Tom is joining us. And I need a new eyepatch as soon as we get there.”


	22. Tord Reveals Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord reveals himself to Tom and goes a little power crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeeee Tom knows. And Tord completely changes character because I suck at character development. Sorry guys, today was really stressful for numerous reasons so.

Paul looks startled but closes the door, and Tord and Tom get in.  
“Sir-”  
“Tord.”  
“Uh. Tord, what's happened?” Patryck inquires.  
“I'll tell you when we get there. I visited with my old friends, and-”  
“For the thousand and first time, I am not your friend.”  
“And I will need to go back later. Tom decided to join the military in order to figure out about me.”  
Patryck holds back a snicker. “Oh this will be fun. Is it okay if I stay and watch?”  
“Actually, I will need you two, so yes.”  
Tom clears his throat. “Care to tell me who these people are or are you just going to keep talking like I'm not here?”  
Tord looks at Tom and sighs. “These were my uh. Underclassmen. In the military.”  
Patryck snorts. “True.” Paul elbows him and whispers in his ear, “Shut it, he doesn't want Tom to know yet.”  
“So I thought you said everyone rejected you in the military?”  
Patryck whispers back in Paul's ear, “It's going to be hard to keep up the image if I don't know what-”  
“What are you two whispering about?”  
Patryck quickly leans back into his seat “Er, nothing, just about how green the grass was.”  
That was code for “I can't say in front of this person but I will tell you later.”  
“Ah. Well, see Tom, as you know. I lied about a few things. The first was having no friends in the military.”  
Tom raises an eyebrow questioningly. “Does that mean these two?’  
Tord laughs. “More than that. The other is that I need a place to stay.”  
“Then why did you come back? To antagonize me?”  
“Because I wanted you to join.” They pull up at the base entrance and Tord get out, and leads Tom, with Patryck and Paul close behind.  
They go down the hallway and Tord opens the door to his office, grinning when out of the corner of his eye he sees Tom gaping as the door, big and sliver like a garage door, slides smoothly up into the ceiling with an almost silent “woosh”. Tord walks in, arms spread. “Welcome to my office.”  
Tom walks in, and Tord immediately gets serious.  
“Paul and Patryck, put this room on lockdown. After you do I need Paul to get my uniform. Patryck, make sure Tom doesn't leave.”  
Toms eyes widen in surprise and he whips around as the door makes another sliding sound and a thump, and Paul hands Tord a bunch of folded clothes.  
“Thank you Paul.” He takes it into the bathroom and comes out a minute later, dressed up in his uniform.  
“So you see, Tom, I was never kicked out of my own army.” He rolls his eyes at Toms confused look.  
“This is MY army! I am the red leader, and I have the whole army at my command!”  
He grins, arms wide. “All of this, mine! Doesn't this awe you?”  
Tom takes a step back. “What the hell? How the- how?!?”  
“Ha. I've been in charge of it for years, since I took out that sergeant from so long ago. I have the whole of these stupid gullible ants listening to every word I say, like I am a god! You thought I was kicked out? Ha! I would like to see anybody try to dethrone me!”  
He walks toward Tom, who stumbles back, as though not entirely in charge of his body. He falls to the ground and stares up at Tord, fear on his face. Tord crouches down in front of him, eyes excited. “Everyone here acts as though they switched their brains for sheep fluff. But you? You have potential! You have the skills to make this worthwhile. You can join me, Tom! Help me take over the world, and we can have anything we want at our fingertips!”  
He stands up, walking to his desk and sitting at the chair.  
“I came back to our old friends to get them to join me. With Edd, Matt, and you, my progress would be made a lot faster. You three would definitely make it to the high ranks. You could be my personal busybodies.”  
“You mean minions.” Tom scoots back a little. Tord shrugs. “It's all in how you look at it. But you, Tom!” He gets closer to Tom and cups his face, tilting his head. “You would be above them all. You have a power I can barely comprehend. You could be my… wild card.”  
Tord stands up, leaving Tom looking dazed and sitting on the floor.  
“Paul, Patryck, keep him from making too much noise or running away, and gather everyone in the cafeteria. I have an announcement to make.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though I'm sorry if you guys think it's not going very well-  
> Wow.  
> My self confidence went Down a lot.  
> Sorry, I got bullied today so it's yeah really stressful.


	23. Tord Tells Tom Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord makes his announcement and tells Tom a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeeeee fluff soooooon I promissseeeee. And the last sentence isn't foreshadow. Just saying.

Paul and Patryck nod, helping Tom up and taking the room off lockdown. Tom tries to wrench his arm away to no avail, and struggles as Tord opens the door.  
“Okay, I'll follow you guys around and be quiet just don't touch me!”  
Paul looks at Tord, who sighs. “Let him go.”  
The back away and Tom brushes his sleeves off, glaring at them.  
“Hey, don't be mad at me, the leader told me to.”  
Tord rolls his eyes light heartedly and flicks him upside the head and Paul winces, smiling, and puts a hand to his head.  
“So these are your friends?” Tom inquires.  
“Nah, more my followers. But they've been through a lot that they know they aren't allowed to tell a single soul, and they are loyal to the bone. I already know they'd save each other before me, but as long as we aren't in critical condition at the same time I don't see a problem with it.”  
Patryck frowns. “I can't tell if you're insulting us or complimenting.”  
Paul shrugs. “Probably both.”  
“Both, yeah. Alright alright let's just go. Paul can make the announcement to meet Patryck you escort us. And get me an eyepatch before we go up.” Patryck nods.  
“Yes sir.” He runs off, then comes back and hands Tord the spare.  
Tom shakes his head. “Please don't tell me I'm going to become a prisoner.” Tord tilts his head and chuckles. “As much as your constant brashness bothers me, I'll keep you unbound as long as you follow my demands. For one thing, joining the army like you said you would.”  
Tom winces, as though regretting that decision.  
“For another, I need to make sure your monster is under my control.”  
“Wait hold on.” Tom stops, as though thinking. “Under your control?”  
“Oh yeah. When we fought, we didn't just “fight”. I kept pushing you down until you were calm and did as I told. That's why my sword was in your shoulder. I wasn't just fighting you, I was taming you.”  
Toms eyes widen, and Paul whispers to Patryck “what are they talking about?”  
Patryck shrugs.  
Tom shakes his head. “No, you can't just tame it. That's impossible.” Tord smirks.  
“I suppose we'll have to see, won't we?”  
“I don't think it's possible. And I don't want to become some slave.”  
“Well then consider yourself a benefit instead. Either way, I will control your monstrous side.” Tord shakes his head. “Anyway, I'm sure you want to know my other demands. If you join the military, you CANNOT do anything that will land you in the prison. You're too valuable to waste.”  
“What prison?”  
Tord waves a hand. “Don't worry, I'll show you on the tour later on. Lastly, no revolutions or i will kill you.”  
“Well then.”  
Toon follows him backstage just as the speakers come on.  
“Announcement at cafeteria in five minutes. Everyone gather in the cafeteria for announcements.” It repeats again then goes dead.  
“Lovely, so what's this announcement?” Tom looks at Tord curiously.  
“That you three will be joining soon. I don't do this for everyone, but they need to know to treat you with the utmost respect. If they do not, they will be punished.”  
“You sound so totalitarian. I feel like I'm meeting a new person. And to be honest, I don't hate this one.”  
Tord is surprised and turns to Tom. “You don't hate my leadership?”  
Tom shrugs. “It's cool. You're a big boss man.”  
“Okay do NOT call me big boss man.”  
“Okay, commie.”  
“Tom. Stop.”  
“What, aren't I supposed to be treated with ultimate respect?”  
Tord laughs. “See, the one who makes the rules doesn't have to follow them.”  
“And the one who breaks the rules doesn't have to fix them.” Tom grins.  
“That statement doesn't even work stop trying to copy me.”  
“I find that full permission to copy you.” Tom starts by copying Tords stance. Tord rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” The curtains are opened and Tord steps forward, Paul and Patryck stepping in front of Tom to hide him. Patryck whispers “shush” to Tom to make sure he doesn't talk then pays attention.  
“Hello everyone!”  
“Hello sir!” Everyone calls back.  
“At ease. I have an announcement to make.”  
The crowd pays strict attention.  
“I am sanctioning off the room A233 for use in a new weapon. No one is to enter, no one is to even look at it. All belongings will be removed, and anyone found inside will go to prison. Understood?”  
“Sir yes sir!”  
“Good. Now I have three recruits joining us soon. I will introduce one to you now.”  
He nods at Paul and Patryck, and they move aside to reveal Tom.  
“For those of you who don't know, which should be everybody, this was the initiator of my injuries. He will be joining my army and is to be treated with the UTMOST respect. Anyone that so much as touches him will be punished accordingly.  
If he is causing trouble or picking fights, report to me, Paul, or Patryck and we will deal with it. Understand, soldiers?”  
“Yes sir!”  
“Good. Now, starting tomorrow, he will be joining the third squadron. He will be given a bunker, and will be treated as one of you, but for the protection I am putting on him. He will be fed the same, given the same assignments, and yet he is not to be touched. For the last time, am I understood?!”  
“Sir yes sir!”  
“Break.”  
Everyone gathers in uneasy chatter and starts slowly pouring out the doors.  
“Okay, so what if I DON’T agree to any of this?”  
“You'll be cast from your group if they learn you're volatile, vicious. A beast. They will exclude you or if they're anything like me, eliminate the threat.”  
“Or try to tame me.”  
“I said if they were LIKE me, not if they WERE me.”  
Tom shrugs. “Whatever. I've been bored recently, so I guess why not, except that my leader is the guy who tried to kill me.”  
Tord suddenly looks uncomfortable. “About that… come with me.”  
Ours walks ahead and Tom follows quickly, keeping pace. They walk back to Tords room in silence and Tord opens the door and walks in, Tom behind him. The door closes, Paul and Patryck having been left to arrange the crowds and carry on with their other duties.  
Tord sighs, and Tom walks up next to him. “Tord?”  
Tord shakes his head. “I can't believe I'm telling you this, but. You're the only one I have found so far who has the potential to become better than me. I don't just hate you. I'm worried you'll beat me.”  
Tord glances at Tom. “That's part of why I'm employing you. If you're in my army, under my command, then you won't kill me. Most of what you do will be under my watch.”  
Tom laughs. “As if I'd have the motivation to do that. No,” he says, taking out his refilled flask.  
“You should be more worried about me dying.”


	24. Matts Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord and Tom go back, explain to Edd, and Matt runs after his clones. They chase him and Tord kills most of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired.

Tord glances at him. “What do you mean by that?”  
“Nothing more than what it sounds like? I am not as strong as you think I am, and if I'm gonna join an army I could be dead easily.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Lack of self confidence, check.”  
“Shut up. Anyway, Edd and Matt are probably awake now. They won't be wondering where I am because I always sleep till noon but they might wonder where you are.”  
Tord sighs. “Alright, I'll drive us back.” He chuckles. “Let's play a little prank on Paul and Pat and take their car, eh?”  
Tom sighs. “I literally do not care. Do whatever you want.”  
Tord frowns at the lack of hilarity but opens the door and walks out, Tom following.  
Tom gets in the passenger side, and Tord drives them to the apartments, sneaking down the hallway. Suddenly Edds door opens and he taps his foot, eyebrows raised.   
Then he sees Tords uniform. And he notes the bruises on Toms neck.  
“I think there's a story to tell here.”  
They sigh and walk in, sitting on the couch, and Edd sits in a chair in front of them.  
“So uh… I'll start with Tord. Where'd you get the uniform from?”  
Hand behind his head, Tord laughs nervously. “See, I uh. Wanted to look fancy.” He mumbles the rest. “I definitely didn't sneak into a military base to get my old uniform back. Or anything.”  
Edd sighs. “If that's all it is, I don't really care. But uh. What happened to Tom?”  
Tom blushes and looks away. Tord rolls his eyes. “We fought. That's all. And I may have choked him, but it's okay we're not killing each other now.”  
Ha. He wouldn't dare.  
Edd narrows his eyes skeptically. “Are you sure about that?”  
“Yes…?”  
Edd sits back. “Okay. So. What're we gonna do today?”  
“I dunno.” Tom answers. “Where's Matt?”  
“He went to see if his lookalikes were still there.”  
Tord snaps his fingers. “Oh thats right that's the thing I wanted to check. Aargh now I want to go back.” He sighs. “Maybe later.”  
Edd ignores him, figuring it doesn't really matter. “So Tom you went with him?”  
“Where? Oh just now? Yeah.”  
“Why'd you go sneak into the military base- why would you- ugh Tooom!”   
“What?”  
“Why would you let him take you to a military base?! Was this after you fought?”  
Tord holds up a hand. “Yes, but uh, shouldn't we be going after Matt? You know, since if we don't he may be zombified soon? When did he leave?”  
“Oh about an hour ago.”  
Tord drops his hand, narrowing his eyes. “Well, it's too late now. Come on, let's go anyway.”   
Edd sighs. “Okay, I'll get my things.” He goes into his room. Tom glances at Tord. “Do you have anything to bring?”  
Tord raises his eyebrows. “Everything I have is at the base.”  
“Oh. I'm gonna go refill my flask.” He walks away and Tord quickly follows. They come back in a couple minutes and walk out the apartment, small talking. They reach the hill and look out over the sea of matts, still in the same place, just milling around. They look for normal Matt, who is nowhere to be found.  
“Lovely.” Tom says, opening his flask then deciding not to drink and closing it.  
“Hey guys!!!” Matt runs toward them, arm held up. “I found me! But I started attacking me and had to run away.”  
“Oh wow look he's being smart.”  
“Hey!” Matt frowns at him. “I am a very intelligent young man.”  
Instead of responding, Tom winces and puts a hand to his head.   
“Gah, headache.”   
Tord crosses his arms skeptically. “Well maybe you shouldn't have gotten drunk.”  
Tom waves a hand. “I got used to that a while ago. This is different.” He shakes his head. “Whatever. Are we gonna go annihilate the zombies or not?”  
“Noooo! Not my clones!”  
“Where did they come from anyway?!?” Tom finally asks the question.  
“Er…” Nobody quite knows. Matt holds up a finger. “I KNOW! Let's ask them!”  
“No.” Chorus the other three.  
“Maybe they came from some secret hidden vat of cloning liquid and then ate each other.” Tom offers.  
“Or maybe we should just kill them all. Bang bang.” says Tord.  
“Tord,” Edd sighs. “You can't do that.”  
“Why not?”  
“No I mean physically. You can't kill what, a hundred zombies- aaaand off he goes.”  
Tord whips out a couple pistols and shirts into the crowd of zombies. Matt has a dramatic spell where he drops to his knees in horror. “Nooooo my cloooones!!!”  
A few minutes later Tord twirls his guns and sticks then back in their hidden holsters, a bunch of dead Matt zombies in front of him. About five still laze around.  
“Toooord finish up at least.”  
“I'm outta bullets.” Tord crosses his arms. “It's okay they can't go anywhere. They're surrounded.”  
It's true, the Matts have been surrounded with zombie bodies and stand confused.  
“Oh.” Tom sighs and unscrews his flask. “I changed my mind, this headache is bad.” He takes a swig.  
“You do realize the hangover is just going to get worse.”  
Tom doesn't answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who might be curious about my URL Jackinthebox123, it's literally 100% random. Jackinthebox was the first thing to come to mind so I typed it in.


	25. Tord Finally Makes His Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord finishes off the Matt clones, tries to get Edd to join him, then dupes him and Edd hates him now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT A FLUFF CHAPTER SORRY!!! I'm trying to do it realistically but it's really hard to fit TomTord into here. I have an idea tho, I think it's gonna work.

Matt finally stands up and starts trudging home, and Tord steps over the dead bodies and kills the rest of the Matts with a pocket knife, then jogs to catch up.  
“Hey guys.”  
Edd turns to look over his shoulder. “Yeah?”  
“There's a lot of things you could learn in the military…” Tord walks next to him and clutches his arm, as though self conscious.  
“I mean, I can't go anymore. But if you guys wanted to join, then you'd learn a lot.”  
Toms shoulders tense and he walks ahead, out of hearing range. Tord watches him, feeling a little guilty for whatever reason, then turns back to Edd, who's frowning. “I'm not a really sacrificial ‘give my life for the country’ kind of person.” He shrugs.  
Tord shakes his head. “I'm serious. You should. They'd love to have someone as smart as you.”  
Matt joins in. “Could I get a mirror if I joined?”  
“Uhhh sure.”  
“And what about a dozen copies of my ‘Matt on Matt act-’”  
Tord waves his hand. “Can't you do that yourself?”  
“I suppose. Ooooo! How about a clone of me?”  
“Ehh. No? But you could get a mirror or two and a canvas to paint yourself with?”  
Matt puts on his puppy dog eyes. “Reaaallyyyyy?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I'm gonna join the military!!!” He runs forward to tell the happy news to Tom, and Tord stares after him in disbelief. That was easy. He glances at Edd, who looks suspicious.   
“Why do you want us to join so much?”   
“Ehhh because… it's a good experience?”  
“Hmm. Well, I'm not joining. I tried it once and almost died. A few times.”  
Tord rolls his eyes for the thousandth time that day. “You almost die with pretty much anything you do. Tell you what. If I was guiding you along, hypothetically, would you join then?”  
“No? I'm just not interested.”  
Tord sighs.  
In a way, mission accomplished. Matt and Tom were joining him. Tord was really happy about Tom joining him, and didn't really care too much about Matt. But Edd… looks like Tord was going to have to force him.  
Tord smirks a little and walks ahead, as though catching up to the others. He swipes across his forearm and messages Paul quickly, putting it away before he catches up to them.   
“And I'm gonna have a GIANT mirror to gaze at my loves face from morn to sundown.” Matt cups his face lovingly and it's clear Tom stopped listening a while ago.  
Tord whispers in Toms ear “I'm driving us to the base and Paul will meet us there.”  
Tom shrugs nonchalantly.  
Tord motions for Edd to catch up to them and grins happily.   
“I want to show you guys a place I liked to go a lot when I was younger.”  
Edd looks curious. “You were a kid once?”  
“Yeah. It sucked. Follow me!”  
He takes them to the car and starts driving. Edd looks around curiously.   
“Where did this car come from?”  
Tord shrugs. “I bought it from a friend at the military before I left.”  
“I thought you said you have no friends.”  
“Your right. It wasn't a friend, it was more of a… follower.”  
“Follower?”  
“Yeah, I'm pretty popular. Well, was. Before the crash.”  
Tom snorts and stares out his window.  
Edd sits in the back with Matt and Tom sits in shotgun. Tord glances at Tom. Something's been odd with him. He's quiet.  
“Tom? What's wrong?”  
“Nothing.” He shrugs.  
“Hey guys look! It's a big building!”  
Matt points excitedly, and Edd looks over. “Yeah. Is this the military base?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Okay is the spot you liked to go somewhere near it?”  
Tord chuckles darkly. “You could say that.”  
“Okay now hold on. What do you mean?”  
“You'll see.” He parks and gets out in front of the base, where Paul and Patryck wait faithfully.   
“Hello, I'll need you two to get Edd. He's not cooperating. Tom, Matt, you two come with me.”  
Edds eyes widen. “What's going on?” Paul and Patryck grab his arms, and he jerks his arm out of Patrycks grip, but Paul doesn't let go.  
“Tord??”  
Tom turns around. “See, he's sorta lying and he's the leader of the red army and stuff, but I'm not allowed to tell you because he has blackmail on me.”  
Matt looks clueless, then realizes he can see his reflection in the bases metal walls, and begins examining himself, looking for hairs on his chin. Tord glares at Tom. “I had a certain way I was going to explain it.”  
Tom just shrugs, then blushes and looks away. Tord raises an eyebrow but turns his attention back to Edd.  
“I am the leader of the Red Army. You have two more chances to join my army of your own coalition, before you go to the prison and think your decisions over.”  
Edds eyes widen, then he takes a step back, glaring at Tord.  
“You're betraying us again?!? The day after you're begging me to take you back? Saying you've changed?” He bares his teeth. “I cannot believe you.”  
Tord shrugs nonchalantly, pretending the words didn't irk him.  
“What can I say. You three are the most important additions to this army I could make.”  
“You're still intent on taking over the world.” It's not a question, but Tord answers anyway.  
“Yes. I haven't stopped. Only been more determined since my biggest attempt was thwarted.” He grins. “Can't you imagine it Edd? Me, on top of the world? Anything I want, at my fingertips? And you could-”  
“I DON'T CARE!”  
Edd shouts at him, face twisted with anger, and takes a threatening step forward. “I can't believe you used me like a rag and tossed me out AGAIN! I'm not interested in world domination, and I don't want to become a minion in your army!” He turns to walk away, and Tord nods at Patryck and Paul, who grab Edd, one of them putting him in a headlock. He shouts and tries to escape, but Tord walks up to him and grins, shadow looming over him. “Bad choice.”


	26. Mental Images Need to Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord argues with Tom a little, falls asleep, hets worried for him for whatever reason, and then the mental images begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be the Tom Tord

Tom and Tord stand in his office. Matt had gone off to watch the initiation video, and Edd had been taken for the tour of the prison. Tord had given up trying to bribe him two arguments later and started with his threatening.  
Tom paces restlessly back and forth, looking agitated.  
“Okay I get it you want to take over the world but Edd doesn't want to be a part of your army! Can't you just leave him alone instead of threatening him with torture?!”  
He throws his head back and groans, hands clenching his hair. “Tord, there are other ways to go for this. Are you even listening to me??”  
Tord looks up from where he was adding an addition of poison darts to his arm, at Tom. “Sure. Please do go on scolding your leader for things he knows more about than you do.”  
Tom blushes and shoves his hands in his pocket, muttering something. Tord cups his ear. “What was that?”  
“I said sorry.”  
Tord puts his hand down. “Yeah that's what I thought.” He sighs. “Yes, Tom.” Tom tenses for a second.  
“I do have to have him. You KNOW how much luck he has. And I can't separate the three of you easily.”  
“But you're threatening him!”  
“And he will cave. Just leave it be, Tom.”  
Tom tenses again, and Tord once again notes his somewhat off behavior. He puts his screwdriver down. “Look, is something up? You've been acting odd today.”  
“... no.”  
Tom looks away, clearly hiding something. Tord just sighs, deciding to pursue it later. “What am I supposed to do now?”  
“You could join Matt for initiation instead of telling me we needed to talk only to rant to me about my problems.”  
“Fine, I guess you really want me to leave.” Tom seems offended about being asked to leave and turns to walk out.  
“Wait Tom.”  
Tord literally has no idea why he told Tom to wait, and just sits for a moment in awkward silence before waving him away. “Nevermind.”  
As he looks down to work on his arm and hears the door close again, he feels an odd disappointment.  
He'll worry about it later.   
For now he's gonna finish this and take a nap.  
He lays his head down on the desk, but he can't sleep. He dozes, but his mind is filled with thoughts of “does Tom know where initiation is?” Then imagining him walking down the hallway, lost, and being found by a soldier, hostilely asks what he's doing. Tom starts to walk away without answering and the soldier grabs him by the shoulder and wrist and flips him, pinning him to the ground, gun against his head, demanding to know why he's spying on the-  
Tord snorts awake so violently he almost falls backward, grabs the desk, and straightens out, panting for breath. His eyes are wide. What happened?  
Almost as soon as he wakes up Paul and Patryck come back with Edd, who looks just… sad.   
Tord ignores him and stares at Patryck with wide eyes. “Where's Tom?”  
“Uh… I think I saw him walking toward the initiation room? We were just talking about that actually.”  
“Did he make it in?”  
“Uh… yeah? I think so?”  
“Go check.”   
It's only as Patryck leaves that Tord remembers he warned them to treat the new recruits well. He already introduced Tom. He sighs with relief and sits back in his chair.  
“Hello Edd.”  
“I hate this. Tord, do you know how this looks? I was your friend!”  
H drops his head, and Tord gazes at him. “I'll ask one last time. Are you going to join me?”  
Edd shakes his head. “No, Tord. I can't do that. I want my friend back.”  
Tords gaze hardens and he nods to Paul, who practically drags him out.  
“Sir?” Patryck comes in. “Tom is in the initiation room. Do you want me to bring him here?”  
Tord shakes his head, not talking. Patryck uncertainly leaves, and Tord puts his head in his hands. Why was he worried about Tom? He's just another soldier. Maybe cause he was a big asset. Yeah… that was it. He didn't want to lose his biggest chance.  
Well, that was what he thought, until he tried to sleep again and his mind started wandering. Head on the table, he blushed as images popped into his mind.   
Him and Tom hanging out, and Tom grinning at him about something.  
Pinning Tom against the counter.  
Tom pulling him down by his jacket strings.   
He clutches his head. Nope nope nope nope nope nope not good.  
That was just some random nightmare stuff right?  
Then why did Tord get excitedly nervous when he thought about it?  
Because it's stupid that your mind is trying to give you nightmares shut up shut up.  
His face flushed as different scenarios pop into his head, and he stands up quickly and walks into the bathroom, standing over the sink after washing his face, drops dropping into the sink slowly.  
“I need something to do to distract myself.”  
He paces around, thinking. He'll check on the initiators. See how they're doing.   
As soon as he walks out of the room with fresh air his mind clears a little and he shakes his head, walking toward the initiation chamber. When he walks in the announcer, someone who tells the initiates about the Red Army, pauses, seeing him, until Tord waves a hand and he continues.  
Toms hair is immediately visible.   
Tord walks up to the front right corner of the room and watches as they go through various training, the top one being respect to the authorities.  
Fist over your heart and now if Red Leader speaks to you.  
“Yes sir” if he gives you a command.  
Bow your head respectfully if someone higher rank than you gives you an order.  
And do it.  
Tord gets bored after a little bit and wanders through the small crowd of people, about 25 or so, and smirks as they recognize him and quickly try to initiate what they've just learned.  
“At ease.” He says to one of them, and chuckles a little when they don't know what he means. He asks another what they've learned, then why they are dilly dallying instead of listening.  
He laughs and reaches Tom, who glances at him then pretends he doesn't notice him.  
Tord stares for a moment, then walks on to Matt, who looks disappointed.  
“Matt? You look disappointed about something.”  
“Oh, uh, sir? It's just? I don't have a mirror yet, and I thought I'd get one.”  
“Don't worry I'll get you your mirror.” He ruffles Matts hair and walks on.  
Suddenly he remembers something, and goes back through the crowd to Tom.  
“After initiation come back to my office. I have something to tell you.” Tom nods, and Tord hesitates a second before walking out.  
He really needs a nap. A real one.


	27. The Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord shows Tom prison.  
> Then Tom is scared so he sleeps, and Tord pets him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flufffffffffff

Once again, Tom stands in his office and Tord behind the desk, loading the poison darts into his arm and closing it after he had practiced on the wall.  
“So, we haven't yet addressed the issue of how I'm going to train with your monstrous self.”  
“Maybe you could just not and we don't worry about it.”  
Tord laughs, shaking his head.  
“No, I need someone like you.”  
He stands up and walks around the desk, in front of Tom, examining him.  
“I don't suppose you can summon it or anything useful like that?”  
Tom shakes his head.   
“That's too bad. So I have to make you mad?”  
Tom frowns.   
“I'll take that as a yes.”  
Tom nods.  
“Why aren't you saying anything?”  
Tom doesn't say anything, smirking a little.  
“So how do I make you mad?”  
Tom shrugs.  
“Okay you're being annoying.” Suddenly Tord grins. “I have an idea. Be right back.” He walks into a small unnoticeable closet, then comes out with a Santa Claus costume and an evil grin.  
Tom takes a step back, then holds up a finger threateningly. “Don't you freaking dare.”  
Tord walks right past him and opens the door, walking into the room he'd sanctioned off earlier that day and sets the costume down. He actually had that costume for exactly the reason he's using it: to piss Tom off.  
Tord doesn't really celebrate Christmas. He finds it unnecessary. Paul does, though, and he keeps a Christmas tree ready in the compound. Tord messages him to bring it. Paul replied with a question mark, and a couple minutes later comes in with a five foot box. “Here…?”  
He sets it down and stands aside.  
“Okay, you can go.”  
Paul confusedly leaves.  
Tord presses something on the side of the box and the Christmas tree sets itself up. Tom turns around and walks to the door, which Tord closes with a panel on the wall with a click of a bolt.  
“Toorrrd.”  
Tord presses something on the panel on the wall and “Feliz Navidad” starts playing over the speakers. Tom is shocked for a second then curls into a ball, hands over his ears. “SHUT OFF THE MUSIC OR I WILL PERSONALLY IMPALE YOU!”  
Tord turns it off. “Good, it worked. Meet me in about an hour in here.”  
Tom uncovers his ears. “How about no?”  
“Then you can go to prison. Wait, have I given you the tour yet?”  
“No…?”  
Tord laughs. “Alright, I'll show you what happens to the people who displease me.”  
He walks out, and Tom hesitates before following.   
Tom winces and puts a hand to his head.  
Tord glances over. “Still have a headache?”  
Tom nods.   
Tord is silent the rest of the way, and he arrives at a gate, manned by a couple guards that look as though they had been scarred for life. They let Tord in without a word and shut the door behind them.  
Tord and Tom walk down the hallway, lit by bright lights, then go through another door. There’s another hallway and door. They go through it, Tom starting to complain about the length, when, as they enter, a scream echoes throughout the hallway. Tord just grins, and leads Tom past a couple thick iron doors into a large cavern.  
A webwork of iron bars and cells fill the chamber. Tom takes a step back.   
In each cell is one person and each one loves their personal nightmare.  
In one cell, a man is confronted with some person.   
In another, her hair has turned to snakes.  
In another, a young teenager cowers as the “little einsteins” song plays over and over.  
“See, this is what we do to those who disobey. It's all holograms, none of it is real. Some people had to use virtual reality,” he says, pointing at someone with a vengeance headset strapped on, unable to take it off.  
“It's like their own personal hells.”  
Tom, who had been wide eyed, suddenly narrows them skeptically. “Oh, that's where you got this idea from.”  
There's a scream on the other side of the room.  
“I think that's enough. If you want to look around, feel free to do so, but-”  
Tom dashes out the door.  
“Well, I guess we're leaving.”  
They walk out and Tord finds Tom sitting at the entrance to his office, arms around his knees. Tord opens the door, chuckling a little when Tom falls backwards, and presses the door to close it when he feels arms wrap around his legs. He looks down. “Uhhh… Tom?”  
Tom rests his head against Tords leg and doesn't answer, shaking slightly.  
“Tom get off.”  
“I'm scared.” He stated plainly. “When I'm scared I hug things. Deal.”  
“If you were anyone else I'd pry you off with a crowbar.” He sighs and drags his leg with Tom on it over to his desk, sitting down.  
“You're such a child. It's not like your personal hell was in there anyway.”  
“I don't care.”  
“Do you need something else to hug? Because I need my leg.”  
“No. You're comfortable.”  
Tord blushes and looks away, then pulls his leg out of Toms grip.   
“I'm serious. Nobody is allowed to touch me like that, including you.”  
He ignores the odd feeling of disappointment and sits back down. Tom sprawls on the floor and falls asleep. Tord stares at him.   
“Wow.”  
I'll wake him up in an hour or so to do “monster training”.  
Tord kneels next to him, an hour later, poking him gently.  
“Tom.”  
Tom doesn't stir. Tord hesitates, then touches his hair, then pulls his hand back, surprised by how soft it was. He slowly stroked his fingers up his hair. It still somehow has a sharp tip.  
Tom makes some sleeping noise and rolls over, against Tords knees.   
Tord doesn't wake him, just keeps petting him.  
At least, until another half hour later, when he was petting with one hand and writing battle plans with the other. Tom had his head in Tords lap somehow, and was still asleep. The door opened and Paul came in.  
“Sir I-” he stops when he sees the scenario.  
Tord blushes and pulls his hand away, standing up quickly and brushing his uniform jacket off. Toms head smacks against the floor and he wakes up with a groan, clutching his head.  
“Ehm, hello Paul, what is the problem?”  
Paul looks hella confused but shakes his head. “Uh… there was a revolt in the 3C.”  
“Who led it?”  
“Ryan.”  
“Who was in it?”  
“Gary, Hames, and I forgot his name. Jason or something.”  
“Okay, well, you know how to take care of it.”  
“... okay sir.”  
Paul turns to leave and Tord stops him. “Wait. I'm going to need Tom for about an hour then I want him to join his division. You'll escort him then. Knock on the door in the room next to this and if I don't answer don't come in.”  
Paul nods and salutes, then walks out. Tord turns to Tom, who clutches his head, as though confused. He looks up at Tord.  
“Were you petting me?”


	28. More Monster Tom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord fights Monster Tom then sends him to the squadron and checks on Edd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys weekends are really busy for me, especially this weekend and the next.  
> I may not get one tomorrow...

“I er… no! That's not important I need to see your monster Tom again.”  
Tom frowns at him. “You do realize it's pretty painful to change. You try having your bones grown and legs bent backwards. Also, though I don't remember last time, I will remember this. It's not like getting drunk.”  
Tord takes this into account.  
“We don't have to do it too much. I just need to know I still have control of your inner monster, and can train it.”  
Tom glares at him. “Why should you have control of something about me that I don't?”  
Tord glares at him. “Stop arguing and come with me.”  
Tom stands up, then winces. “Agh, the headache again. It's centered around my eyes.”  
“Okay, I'll have someone give you something for it later.”  
Tom follows Tord into his torture chamber.  
“So I realized, based on your reaction last time, that the music I was playing is just going to put you in defensive, not anger. So I'm trying something else.”  
Tom looks confused. “Am I supposed to be happy or worried about that?”  
Tord shrugs. “Probably both. So I have a question. What makes you the angriest?”  
Tom answers immediately. “You.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and holds out his arms. “Great! Here I am, and you're not a monster. Genius.”  
“Okay, you can stop being so pissy with me. Looks like I'm better at pissing you off than you are at making me angry.”  
Tord thinks.  
“Fine. I give up.”  
“What? You're just giving up?”  
“Yep. But I'm also locking you in here.”  
Toms eyes widen. “Wait Tord no.”  
Tord starts to walk away, waving behind him. “I'll come back when you feel like being cooperative.”   
Tom runs forward but Tord closes the door before he can get through. The room is soundproof, but the door jars from Tom hitting it. Tord chuckles.  
Here we go.  
He opens the door and Tom is already starting to change, his teeth lengthening, eyes glowing purple. He bares his teeth, claws ready, and Tord closes the door and grins. He pats his chest and holds his arms out.  
“Come at me, Tom.”  
Tom roars at him, tail whipping back and forth, then he leaps at Tord.   
Tord quickly unsheathed his sword, stabbing up into Toms chest. A flare of worry makes him immediately step back, when Tom falls  
on the blade and it sinks in at least an inch.  
Tom yelps, scrambling backward, and eyes the blade.  
“Do you remember me, monster?”  
Tord waves his sword and Tom growls, muscles bunched, ready to pounce.  
“Looks like you either don't remember or-” he dodges as Tom leaps again, landing on all fours, whipping around, and snarling.  
“Haven't learned.” Tord sidesteps and stabs Tom's back, shoving him to the ground. Tom yelps and scrabbled away, growling and stalking back and forth.  
Tord laughs. “You act just like Tom. Pacing back and forth when you're arguing or fighting me.” Tom roars at him, staying on all fours, his legs more animalistic. His tail lashes then he leaps at Tord again, twisting in midair so he lands facing Tord when Tord steps aside, and leaps at him again, catching Tord off guard and knocking him down. Tord tries to raise his arm to stab him, but it doesn't lift, and when he looks over it’s pinned down by Toms claws. Tords eyes widen in surprise and slight panic and he whips his pistol out with his other hand, pressing it against Toms chin just as Tom grabs his throat with his free hand, growling.  
They stay there, panting, for about a minute, before Tom starts changing back.  
He sits for a moment, on top of Tord, then passes out.  
“Oh yeah, I forgot he does that.”  
Tord puts an arm under his head, Toms head on his shoulder.  
Get him off you. This is embarrassing.  
He carefully sits up, arm around Tom to make sure he doesn't fall over, and stands up, dragging Tom back to his office and laying him down.  
He messages Paul, who appears in his office. “Yes?”  
“When Tom wakes take him to his division.”  
“What about you sir?”  
“I'm going to check on Edd. Make sure Matt follows procedures.”  
“Yes sir.”  
Tord waves as he walks out the door. He wanders aimlessly down the the hallways, not really going anywhere. He eventually heads for the prison, walking down the hallways and into a room filled with people currently being fed the food from lunch. Tord makes sure to feed them plenty, so they don't die or become malnourished, staying alive for the whole of their sentence.  
They never gain too much weight though. Must be all the screaming.  
Tord walks around the cells then walks down a hallway in the middle. In almost the exact middle sat Edds cell, filled with empty cola cans. Edd is huddled miserably in the corner of the room, hood up. He doesn't look up when Tord appears.  
“Edd.”  
No response.  
“Edd will you join me?”  
The slightest shaking of heads.  
Tord sighs, then has a word with the monitor of the holograms, and he changes Edds hologram to be a VR headset with a room slowly filling with fake cola.  
Pleas soon add to the symphony as Tord walks out, and a smirk spreads across his face.   
He returns to his now empty office and begins a plan for engineering biological warfare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, some of this is based off of WTFuture. Spoilers XP


	29. Tom Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom is found in pain.  
> Tord helps him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of you guessed correctly X3

“SIR!!!”  
Patryck runs in as soon as the door is high enough and Tord puts down the pen.  
“What?”  
“There's something wrong with Tom!”  
Tord stands up quickly.  
“What?!”  
“He's… I don't know, just come on, I don't know what's wrong.”  
Tord grumbles and slams his fist on the desk, quickly following.   
When he arrives at the third division, there's a huge crowd, chattering anxiously. “Everyone out of my way! What is going on?!”  
Everyone clears a path for Tord, and in the middle of the crowd Tom lays groaning, curled up and clutching his head, eyes shut tight. Tord walks forward, face concerned, and kneels next to Tom.  
“Tom?” He his head to Patryck, who kneeled next to him. “Does he respond to anyone?”  
“No, he was screaming earlier.”  
Tord carefully touches his shoulder, and Toms breath shudders and his fingers curl, digging his nails into his head. Tord hesitates then grabs his hands, pulling them away. Tom pulls against his grip then his eyes open and he screeches in pain.  
“Do we have a stretcher or something?”  
“I can get one in about three minutes.”  
Tord picks Tom up, Toms head lolling. Tom curls against Tords chest and grabs his sweater, shivering.  
“I'll take him to our medical bay.”  
He runs out, almost tripping down the stairs, and runs down quiet hallways.  
He shoulders a door and walks into an ER type room, where a doctor busybodies, setting up for something. Tord sets him on the bed and grabs the doctors arm, getting a surprised and almost fearful look.   
“Treat him. Figure out what's wrong. Do a CAT scan. I don't care just fix him.”  
The doctor nods quickly, Tord releases him, and he runs out.  
Tord goes to the bedside and sits next to Tom.  
“Tom, if you can answer, please tell me what's wrong.”  
Tom groans, palms pressed against his eyelids, back arched.  
“My eeeeyyyes” Tom groans. “My heeeaaaaad”  
Tords eyes widen. As soon as the doctor (nametag said “Dr.Zade”) came back in, arms full of bags and bottles of liquid, Tord grabs his arm again, making him drop a couple things. “There's something wrong with his eyes. His head.”  
Dr.Zade nods quickly, getting the CAT scan ready. He carefully puts Tom on a bed that goes into the scan, then hesitates before tying his wrists down. Tom groans and struggles a little. The doctor looks at Tord.  
“With all due respect, I need everyone out. Just, you know.” He shrugs. “In case.”  
Tord sighs and walks out, leaning against the wall outside the room, adrenaline he hadn't noticed before rushing through him.  
Get ahold of yourself. He'll be fine.  
Tord shakes his head and knocks on the door. Dr. Zade opens the door a crack. “Yes? I'm about to start.”  
“I'm going to send Paul down here, let me know when you have news. And if you need help, you can take the other doctors, I don't care what they're doing.”  
The doctor nods uncertainly, and Tord walks off.  
Patryck meets him at the top of the stairs. “Any news?”   
“No. Send Paul down there, and make sure he tells me everything that happens.”  
“Yes sir.”  
Patryck runs off, and Tord walks back into the room where Tom had his episode. “Everyone!” All of them turn. “Back to work, stop standing around. You all have your jobs.”  
He walks away, and as soon as Tord is out of sight he bites his robotic knuckle habitually, thinking only about what was wrong with Tom. When he got back to his room he pushed all his papers aside, sat at his desk, and drew a diagram about cameras and the human brain.   
Paul comes in about a couple hours later, looking slightly scared.  
“Sir? He got the results back. He should probably tell you himself.”  
Tord glares at him and walks out of the room without a word. Paul follows at a quick pace.  
He goes down the steps two at a time, slams open the door, and strides straight over to Tom, sitting next to him.  
“He's unconscious, he started screaming after being restrained, so I put him to sleep.”  
“Good.” Tord stares at Toms face, which is wrapped around his eyes.  
“So what's the news?”  
The doctor shifts nervously. “Well… he has eye cancer.”  
Tord stares at him.  
“Does that mean… is he blind?”  
“Yeah, he's been blind since he first started screaming upstairs, I assume.”  
Tord is shaking, and grabs one of Toms hands between the two of his.  
The doctor is very confused. “I mean no offense when I ask, uh, why is he such a big deal?”  
Paul winces as “The Question” is asked, waiting for Tords answer.  
Tord actually doesn't understand himself, and is quiet for a minute as he thinks about it,  
“I guess…”  
He sighs.  
“You don't know it but he's a huge wildcard. He can do a lot for us, and he's no good to us blind. Will it kill him to leave it in there?”  
The doctor hesitates. “Most likely, yeah.”  
Tord stands up. “Take it out then.”  
He stalks over and leans against the doorway. “But I'm staying this time. Paul, go upstairs and get the papers I was drawing on, and a pair of might goggles from the supply room.”  
Paul nods with a “yes sir” and leaves to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm go-karting and keep getting the slowest one SO NOT FAIR.


	30. Tom Blames Tord At First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom blames Tord for his blindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I suck at the summaries.

When he gets the goggles he begins to program them, then in a burst of inspiration asks Paul, who stayed, to get him a screen, dismantled it, and added it to the front of the glasses.  
He asks for twelve syringes and carefully takes those apart, adding the needles to the back of the glasses.  
“Right, now for the hard part. Get me two cameras, some wires, and a circuit board.”  
Paul confusedly leaves to fetch the equipment. Tord looks up at the doctor. “I need a test subject.”   
The doctor, in the middle of the surgery, pales. Tord snorts. “Not you. Just somebody.”  
Paul glances quickly at Tord then away, and Tord notices. “What?”  
Paul looks at him. “Uh…” he looks nervous, and Tord suddenly laughs. “You think I should be my own test subject?”  
Paul blushes a little, embarrassed.  
“Sure, I'll probably do it to myself. Only after it's been tested and approved by me though. Paul, go out and get five volunteers.”  
Paul nods and leaves. Tord continues to fiddle with the glasses, then opens a tiny port in his arm, plugs in the glasses, and starts to program in his mind. Another nice quirk of his brain chip; he can program using it.  
After a few minutes he unplugs and takes the circuit board, plugging it in and programming it as well.  
“This thing needs to be smaller. You have a chip?”  
Dr.Zade, in the middle of stitching Toms eyes, glances over. “Uh, maybe in the medical storage.”  
“When you finish that go get it. When's he gonna wake up?”  
“In about fifteen minutes.”  
Tord glances at the heart monitor and at his newfound goggles.   
“Alright. You almost done?”  
“Yeah.”  
He finishes up and straps a bandage around Toms eyes.   
“I'll go get it, he may wake before I get back. Make sure you keep him calm. After a surgery, and being put out, it's better if they don't panic.”  
Tord nods nervously. That's gonna be hard.  
“And if he wants to take the bandage off he can in about five minutes from now, I just want the healing solution to sit for a little bit.”  
Tord nods again, and the doctor walks out. He walks over to Toms bedside and kneels next to the bed, resting his head on it.  
“I'm making a headset for you.” He whispers. “I thought about dabbling in eye mechanics before but I didn't consider it a priority.”  
He glances at Tom to make sure he's still asleep before he says things he'll regret.   
“Something's odd Tom. I've been thinking about you more than normal. Is it because I know how powerful you are?”  
Tord sighs. “God I'm glad you're asleep, I'm rambling about things that don't matter. As if you care about my stupid feeling-”  
Tom moves. His arm twitches, then he groans and grabs his hair with his hand.   
“What happened?”  
Tom sits up quickly. “Where am I?!”  
Tord hushed him and had him lean against the wall.  
“Shh Tom its fine.”  
“Tord? Where am I?”  
“Hospital room, you had a… fit.”  
“Why are the lights off? Is it nighttime?” Tom grabs the bandage on his head and takes it off. “What… what happened?”  
“Uh… the lights are off because… yeah it's night.”  
“Why are you here?”  
“I was… working on something, and needed a doctors help. You had something wrong with your head so the doctor had to take it out.”  
The door opens and Paul comes in, about to say something till Tord puts an urgent finger on his mouth. Paul nods and goes back outside.  
“Who was that?”  
“No one, just someone looking for the bathrooms.”  
“Why is it so freaking dark? Don't they have night lights or something?”  
Tord looks around the almost glaringly bright room, shaking. This was really hard for him, for whatever reason. He takes a shuddering breath and decides to tell Tom.  
“Tom, the… the lights are on.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Tord grabs his hand unconsciously. “I need you to not freak out.”  
“What is it Tord? You're scaring me.”  
“You… got eye cancer, you're… blind, Tom.”  
Tom stares at him, a little to the left. “What the hell. Tord that's not funny. That's not funny at all.”  
Tord lets go of his hand and walks to the doorway of the room. “You hear the heart monitor?”  
“Yes, Tord.” Tom snaps.  
“But you can't see it.”  
Tom looks around, then grabs the blanket on the bed and throws it off. “Tord come here. Where'd you go? Come here.”  
Tord slowly comes closer. Tom feels his forearm, and trails his fingers up. Tord blushes as his fingers go up his shoulder, to his neck, then Tom grabs his neck with both hands and chokes him. Tord coughs and grabs his wrists.   
“What did you do to me?!? Are my eyes even still there?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!”  
Tord pries his hands away and pins them to the bed, speaking in low tones.  
“Calm down Tom. I swear to god calm down I had them take out the cancer so you didn't die.”  
“You should've just let me die.”  
“Your eyes are still there.”  
“Why am I blind?”  
“Because you had cancer.”  
“I can't… see. Tord it sucks.”  
“I know. I'm blind in one eye.”  
Toms eyes widen. “Oh yeah.” He narrows his eyes. “That's not the same.”  
Tord sighs, letting him go, and quickly getting off of him, slightly embarrassed. Thank goodness no one came in and saw that.  
Wait.  
Paul was looking in through the window.  
Tord slams the door open, face slightly flushed in embarrassment. “What do you want?”  
Paul is obviously trying not to smirk. “Er, I got three volunteers for testing.”  
“Good enough, bring them here and leave us alone.”  
“Testing for what?” Tom calls from behind them, looking at the ground.  
“Uh, the good news. That I was going to tell you when you stopped attacking me.”  
“What?”  
“I'm dabbling in eye mechanics. I had already looked at it a tiny bit after I lost my eye, but now I'm going full in until you can see. Paul, tell them to wait for me outside my room, and I'll get to them in a little bit.”  
“Okay.” He turns to leave and Tord grabs his shoulder, stopping him. Paul looks over his shoulder and jumps, scared by Tords deadly almost insane look.  
“Don't tell a single soul what you saw just now.”  
Paul looks away. “I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't see anything.”  
Tord nods and releases him, and Paul runs off.  
Tord turns around to Tom.  
“What did he see?”  
Tord blushes and doesn't answer. Tom glares in his general direction. “That's REALLY not fair.”  
Tord sighs. “I know. He was looking in the window when I, uh, stopped you from choking me.”  
“You mean when you pinned me to the bed.”  
Tom laughs as Tord grumbles under his breath. “Shut up Tom.”  
Tord goes back over to his goggles and continues working on it, perfecting some things, borrowing a couple medicines to put in the syringes not filled with wires.  
Tom stands up. “Tord, say something and tell me if there's something in my way.”  
“No.”  
“Okay.” Tom slowly makes his way forward, hands held up slightly.  
“This is terrifying.” His hand brushes against the wall and he slowly sits down. “Hurry up on that eyepiece will you?”  
Tord nods, forgetting he can't see. He messages Paul to bring the test subjects to the medical room, and waits through a couple minutes of Tom blabbering till there's a knock on the door. Tord opens the door and lets them in.


	31. Eye Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eye cancer is solved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a fast solution, and it's NOT GOGGLES ITS GLASSES I LOOKED IT up and the glasses look more like what I'm looking for than the goggles do so SORRY I MESSED IT UP.

“Line up.” The test subjects line up automatically in order from shortest to tallest.  
The doctor comes in a minute later, holding a chip and staring at Tom, who'd walked out of the way to stand in the corner.  
“Now there is the chance of pain and losing your eyes.” Tord stares at them. “Just warning you.”  
One of them looks nervous now but the other two just nod respectfully. The doctor looks especially nervous, and offers his help to Tord.  
“Prepare one of these beds for surgery of a sort. Now, I put painkillers in the needles so it shouldn't hurt. It probably won't work the first time. Who wants to go blind?” Tord grins. Tom raises his hand, whacking some bar and wincing. “I'm offended by your chirpy tone and your lack of sympathy.”  
“I don't care.”  
The soldiers all stand still, unresponsive, then one of them sighs and steps forward, saying “I'll do it. As long as I get the finishing product.”  
“Ehhhh maybe.” He tells the soldier to lay down and the doctor gets her ready with the sanitized IV drip.   
Tord steps forward and holds his hand out for the small chip, and the doctor places it in his hand. He plugs it into his arm and programs it with what he programmed into the circuit board, not being used.  
He inserts in into a placement indention in his hand, which slowly and carefully shrinks, and holds it in front of the needles, and it inserts onto one of the wires to be put into the brain.   
“Alright, put her to sleep.”  
The doctor nods, and as soon as her breaths slow Tord orders him to open her eyes, then carefully, with precision, places the goggles onto her eyes, stabbing into them. He presses a button on the side and it comes to life, needles shooting out solution to numb the eyes and wires programmed to slither to her brain, connecting with the vision nerves.  
One of the soldiers raises a hand to talk and Tord waves him down, needing to focus. The screen comes to display with two horizontal lines.   
“Alright… can you wake her up?”  
The doctor puts an IV in her arm, pulls out the other one, and slowly the soldier starts to stir.  
“J-Jack? Oh, no, no I'm at the hospital room.”  
She looks around. “I… I can't see anything.”  
Tord curses and slams his fist on the bed.  
“Alright, is there anything at all? Some blurry image of something?”  
The display shows two circles, meaning the muscular functions worked.  
“No- wait, it's like I can see shadows, it's all sorta whitish and creamy and I can see some barely shapes.”  
Tord sighs, facepalming.  
“I put it in just the motion part of the brain, I forgot the colors. And the focus. Shit.”  
He sighs and tells the doctor to put her to sleep again, presses a button that retracts the needles and wires, leaving the brain chip. He took it to his spot on the ground and studies his brain diagrams some more, asking for two more needles. He works on it, programming another chip, then looks at the other two soldiers.  
“One of you two?”  
They glance at each other then one steps forward. “I guess I can.”  
They took the first person off the bed, putting her on a stretcher till she wakes up, then hooks up the second.  
“We're going to do pretty much the same thing, but I readjusted the goggles.”   
The first soldier wakes up and winces. “Ah I can't see a thing. And it hurts a little. So what's going on?”  
Tom answers. “They're hooking up the second guy to try it on him.”  
Tord looks at him skeptically. “And how do you know that?”  
Tom stares at him (indirectly) indignantly. “I'm blind, Tord, not deaf.”  
“Oh. Right.” Tord just awkwardly looks away, then tells the doctor to knock out the man on the table. As soon as he falls asleep, Tord straps the goggles on him, and presses the button. The needles and wires do their thing, and the display reads that his eyes are closed.  
“Alright… wake him up. If it works, even just the basic necessities, then I'll do the rest of my testing on Tom.”  
Tom starts when he hears his name. “Wait, hold on a sec, I never agreed to lab testi-”  
“Do you want to see again?”  
They're interrupted by him waking up, the display showing circles, meaning he's awake.  
“Awesome, the muscle system is still working. So what do you see?”  
“Um. Just normally, if a little blurry- oh nevermind. Wow that was weird.”  
“What?”  
“It like, adjusted, like a camera.”  
“Well yeah it is a camera.”  
“Oh. Other than that it's the same. Actually it looks better than normal sight. As though I'm seeing in HD now.”   
Tord nods speculatively and takes a piece of paper, writing stuff down.  
“Okay, awesome, so it works. Do you see anything odd?”  
“Nah, other than the adjusting thing, and it hasn't happened since.”  
“Okay, how do your eyes feel?”  
“They're- uh, I can't feel them.”  
“Good, that's what was supposed to happen. Do you feel any electrical shocks?”  
“No…?”  
“Good.” Tord taps his pen for a moment. “Alright, doctor, take him to a dark room. Or just turn off the lights.”  
The third soldier turns it off at the doctors instructions.   
“Oh wow, this thing has night vision.”  
“Yeah I left them with it. Great, so you still see stuff well?”  
“Yeah.”   
“Great, now put him to sleep I'm taking it off. I'm giving this to Tom, then I'll make some for you two. Kay?”  
The second person sighs with disappointment and nods, laying back down.  
He messages Paul once again. “Dispose of the test subjects when I tell you to. They're no use blind and I'm too lazy to make another eyepiece.”  
Plus, to make another, he'd need more testing, and there was only a rippling effect from there.  
He removes the headpiece from the subject and cleans it, readying it for Tom.  
Tom looks extremely nervous. “I don't want to get hurt or worse or-”  
Tord lays a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his hand.  
“Come this way Tom.”  
Tom calms and goes to the bed, laying down.  
“So, wait, how did this cancer happen to me anyway?”  
The doctor perks up a little. “A large energy charge to the eyes caused a growth to form. So, laser to the face?”  
Tom sighs. “Oh yeah. I'd forgotten about that.”  
They put him to sleep, and Tord hesitates before putting it on. What if it didn't work, what if it screwed something up, what if- he straps it on before his thoughts continue and pushes the button. After a few painful seconds, the screen display shows.   
“Okay, have everyone else leave. Then wake him up.”  
The doctor looks confused but helps the now-blind people out the door and closes it before waking him up.  
The display shows half open, as Toms always skeptical face is, and he sits up slowly, his display showing eyes-shut-tight.  
“Agh, that's so weird.” He opens his “eyes and looks around, then at Tord, who waits with bated breath.  
“Oh, hi Tord. Looking lovely as usual.”  
Tord grins. “So it's working?”  
“Yeah, and now I know what that guy meant by it works in HD.”  
Tord hugs him, shaking. “Ha it works!”  
He grins and holds Tom at arms length, examining him.  
“God Tom you look really high tech. Now hold on a sec I have to keep it from being retractable.”  
He presses a button on the side of the goggles, and it snaps the reel, keeping the wires where they are.  
“All good?”  
“Yeah.”


	32. Tord Becomes Worried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord talks to Tom a little then realizes something that could be bad or... really really good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TORD FINALLY ADMITS (to Patryck) THAT HE MAY BE gay for a particular someone ;3   
> Sorry guys it's short.

Tom looks around again, then stands up and spins in a circle. “Wheeeee”   
Tord grabs him. “Uh, what's he on?”  
The doctor shrugs apologetically. “A few drugs in one day, plus surgery, plus having the cancer and a headache that bad, it'll get to him. Plus, probably, the new eyes. Especially if they're different.”  
“Hey Tord take a picture of me. Or show me a mirror so I know what I look like.”  
Tord holds up his gun. “Look at your reflection in my beauty.”  
Tord narrows his eyes skeptically. Tord grins and rolls his eyes, asking the doctor for a mirror. Tom holds it up, then curses.   
“Great, now I can't hide when I'm staring at someone.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Nope, and I haven't been able to my entire life without sunglasses. That's what you're mad about?”  
“Yes.”  
“Not the- ah nevermind.”  
“Are you going to make something like this for yourself?”  
Tord thinks for a little bit. “...no. I don't think so. I have better things to work on.”  
Tom glances at him. “I have to keep this on at all ones right?”  
“Yeah, and I'll think about making it out of something formidable so it doesn't break.”  
“That… would be appreciated.”  
“Ah shoot I can't. I already planted it. They can't come back off. Not safely, anyway.”  
“Dangit.”  
“Just don't fall on your face or something.” Tord sighs, standing up.  
“So wait. Why do you need me so much?” Tom stares at him intently.   
Tord looks away. “Er, because you're so… important. You're my secret weapon. Speaking of which, thinking ahead, I made the strap adjustable in case you grow, and it'll snap apart if your head gets too big.”  
“Hey!”  
Tord laughs. “I'm serious though when you become a monster I don't know if it makes your head change.”  
Tom rolls his digital eyes. “I don't know, all I know is doing it gives me a headache.”  
“Hmm.” Tom stares at him. “So why are you actually so worried about saving me?”  
Tord glances at him. “I already told you.”  
Tom laughs once. “With your skill? You could make yourself a robotic wildcard, you don't need me.”  
Tord blushes for some reason and awkwardly scratches his neck. “You're still really useful. I…”  
Tord eyes widen. “Oh. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no I'll be back just go to your division or take a nap or something.” He runs out of the room into the empty hallway. He messages Patryck and darts to his room, where Patryck is already waiting.  
“Come in here with me I need help.”  
He opens the door and immediately gets to pacing in front of his desk, frantically thinking. It couldn't be true, could it? There's no way. Not HIM.  
“You've been dating Paul for a while now.”  
Patryck blushes a little. “Uh, yeah.”  
“How did it start? How did you know you liked him?”  
Patryck, slightly flustered, mutters his response. “I thought about him a lot, found him attractive, he's- why is this important?”  
Tord smirks a little bit it disappears when he remembers why he's asking.  
“Because… just answer the question, I might tell you.”  
Patryck suddenly grins. “Oh, you want to know because you think you like someone.”  
Tords face flushes. “Stop asking questions, I'm the interrogator here.”  
Patryck tries to keep from laughing and Tord glares at him.  
“I thought about him all the time. Is partly what it was. Then I had fantasies. N-not like that!” He holds his hands up defensively. “And I liked when he talked to me, he made me feel… uh… electricity. That's the best way to describe it. His compliments felt like praise. Stuff like that.”  
Tord sits in his chair, tapping his fingers on the desk, thinking.  
“Who is it? Paul and I have a bet.”  
“None of your business.”  
“Oh come on.”   
Tord glares at him. “Fine. You tell me what you think.”  
Patryck shrugs. “My guess is you don't, but Paul bets that you have a crush on Tom.”  
Tord snorts and angrily stands up, pacing again.  
“Was he right?”  
“... maybe.”


	33. Tom Gets Drunk Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tord continues talking to Patryck, tries to figure things out, realizes something about Tom. He surprise visits the apartments after everyone leaves for home, then Tom acts drunk, Tord gets flustered, and angry, and goes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Tom makes an appearance and Tord gets embarrassed.  
> Also angry.  
> Because reasons.  
> Wheeeeee!  
> Also sorry it's short again.

Patryck sighs. “Paul wins once again.”  
Tord glares at him, and he holds up his hands again. “Alright alright I'll be quiet.”  
“I don't know. I keep thinking about him and wanting him to be there for things and he's just important to me, more so than anything or anyone has been to me so far.”  
Tord grabs his hair agitatedly with one hand.  
“I want him to listen to me and admire me and do that thing he does where he contradicts everything I say because I like the challenge. I want him to stand on top of the world with me, see me rule the nations.”  
Patrycks eyes are twinkling. Tord frowns at him. “What?”  
“You're such a romantic!”  
Tord slams his fist on the desk. “Shut up! Leave, I need to think this over on my own.”  
\-- One minute later --  
Patryck sighs and hands his laptop to Paul. Paul looks at him confused.  
“Our leader is gay.”  
Paul grins and pumps his fist. “I knew it! I told you.”  
Tord gets agitated as he paces again, hands fisted in his hair. There's a knock on the door, and he shouts at it. “What do you want?!”  
“We have a package for you.”  
It's the mailman, and Tord just snaps, “Leave it there” and sits down on the floor right where he is.  
He taps his fingers together, gets up and assesses battle plans, gives up, stalks back to his desk, then sees a picture sticking out of his drawer. He pulls it out, then quickly turns it upside down on his desk, blushing again. Again! That was the thousandth time that day and it was because of Tom! The picture was one from the file of Edd Matt and Tom, of Tom tuning his guitar. There were many pictures of the three of them like this, but this one happened to be sticking out of the drawer that one file was in.  
Tord takes out the file and flips to Toms profile, absentmindedly flipping through the pictures. There were a couple that Tord didn't see till a couple seconds later, then he sits up and quickly flips back.  
Tom on dates in a couple different pictures with a couple different girls.  
Well crap. There was the number one problem.  
Tom was straight.  
Tord throws the file at the wall, laying his head in his arms. And sleeps. Again.  
When he wakes up, the clock in his head tells him it's nighttime. Finally. Today was a long- wait. It's been two days since the whole thing started. No wonder Tord kept falling asleep. He stands up and wanders in his office aimlessly, then opens the door, walking out, taking some random car and driving to the apartments.  
He goes in and stands outside Toms apartment door. They let everyone go home at 18:00 to go home, unless they have a long day. At the moment it was 23:04 and Tord debates going in. He could try to figure stuff out on his own, but he felt it would drive him crazy.  
He knocks, then hears a burst of laughter from inside. Tom answers the door, leaning drunkenly against it, and holds up a card.  
“Wrrr playn cads.”  
Tord looks confused but walks in.  
“Eyyy Matt! Ts the leedrrrrr of te armyyyy.”  
Tord sits on the bench and sits back. Turns out they're playing Cards for the Destruction of Humankind. How appropriate.  
“Who's winning.”  
“S’me I rock.”  
“You're very drunk Tom. And you can't play this game with just two people.”  
“M’not drnnnnk yet. Mby I ‘m.”  
“Jut stop I can't understand you.” He sits down with them. “Deal me in.”  
Tom comes and sits next to him, closer than maybe normal. Tord glances at him but forcibly doesn't react.  
Matt was judge this round and reads the card aloud, having no idea (as usual) what it meant. Tord smirks and puts a card down. He tends to always win this sort of thing.  
“Tord’n y’ned t’ put carr dow.”  
“What? I already put a card down.”  
Tom leans against his arm and lays his head on his shoulder, hair brushing against Tords neck. Tord blushes (AGAIN) and puts down his cards. Tom pats his chest indignantly. “Nuuuu pick’m up. U ned t’puttm on s’stak.”  
“I have no idea what you're talking about, Tom. Get off me, alcoholic.”  
Tom hugs his shoulders in protest when Tord tries to push him off.  
“Nnnoo I luv yuuuu”  
Tord blushes and takes his hands away, placing them in Toms lap.  
“Now stay. Stop being drunk. Maybe pass out already.” Tom mumbles something.  
Was he serious? No, he was freaking drunk. There was no way. Plus, he was straight. Matt judges the cards and deems himself the winner, even though he didn't play one. Tord sighs.  
Then jumps when he feels a hand on his thigh, near his knee. He frowns at Tom, who's still leaning on him, and giggling a little.  
Tom stares at him and slowly draws his hand up his thigh. Tord jumps away as soon as he realizes, automatically getting in a defensive crouch, and Tom flops on the ground, laughing.  
“I mak u uncmmfff- uncomfrrrrrt.”  
Tord glares at him, slightly flustered. “Tom, I'm serious, stop. I'm taking you to your room you need to go sleep it off.”  
Tom groans in disappointment as Tord helps him up and practically drags him to his room, laying him in his bed.  
“Now pass out.”  
Tom frowns at him and lays down, immediately passing out.  
“Good.”  
Tord sighs, sitting and leaning on his elbow, head on his hand. “God, Tom. I com over to figure things out and you just make me more confused. I can't bel- why do I keep talking to your passed out body?!?”  
He stands up impatiently and walks out, slamming the door shut. As he stomps out of the apartment Matt looks at him in surprise.  
“Leaving already? You just got-”  
“I'm going to sleep!” Tord says angrily, and slams that door too, driving back to the base and going back to his office.  
He wasn't entirely lying when he said he needed a place to live.  
He falls asleep once again, thoughts of Tom on his mind. Through all this he doesn't realize that there's still a package waiting outside his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I maybe not be able to post more than one tomorrow, maybe not even one, because my dad is going to be a jerk, and I won't have time.  
> Why?  
> Low grades.  
> NOT EVEN THAT LOW JUST ONE CLASS


	34. Exercises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens, I'm giving up on summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a duplicate, my thing screwed up.

Tord wakes up te next morning, at 4:00, as usual.  
And as he wakes up, decides to go through with the biological warfare.  
He writes a few things then sends it through the mail slot in the wall, to be delivered to the labs.  
He stands up, takes off the upper half of his uniform, and begins doing his pretty hardcore exercise routine. It consists of over 200 push-ups, 250 sit-ups, and other exercises.  
The door opens and Tom walks in. Tord looks over at him, halfway done with his push-ups (choosing to do the sit-ups first) and sweating. He stands up gracefully. “Yes?”  
Tom just stands for a minute, looking slightly away but still staring at him. Tord raises an eyebrow. “What?”  
“You've got a package outside your room.”  
Tom is having some sort of struggle but Tord ignores it, going outside and grabbing the package, bringing it in and setting it on the desk.  
“I don't suppose you know what it is?”  
“Naaah.”  
He knows what it is.  
Tord glances at him. Tom leans against the wall, looking pale.  
“You should lay down, you look like you're going to pass out.”  
Tom shakes his head. “I'll be fine. Just, hangover. I got drunk yesterday.”  
“Trust me, I know.”  
Tom gains some color in his cheeks. “How… did you come over? What did I do?” Tord shrugs. “Yeah, you were just confessing your love for me and trying to touch me in inappropriate places.”  
Tom blushes. “I was drunk. I do weird things.”  
Tord laughs. “No, believe me, I know. It's not the first time I've seen you drunk.”  
Tom mutters under his breath, face still red. “So, uh, what are you up to?”  
“Preparing for today. We're going to launch an attack on British military.”  
“Well, what are you doing right now?”  
Tord shrugs. “Exercise routine.”  
Tom nods. Tord suddenly whips around to look at him. “Wait, how did you open my door?”  
“Uhm. Wellll…”  
He glances back at the door. “It was pretty easy to trick it, actually. I believe we have the same blood type.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “I never have to worry about security too much. It's the inside I'm worried about.”  
Tom glances over. “Want me to try to-”  
“NO!” Tord had dedicated a new drawer to his confusion about his thoughts about Tom, and didn't want HIM of all people opening it.  
Tom is staring again.  
“You're staring.” Tord helpfully points out.  
“What? No I'm- aw no I have the display thing. I completely forgot about that.” Tom sighs, facepalming. “Don't worry about it it's nothing.”  
Tord smirks. “No, I'm curious.” Tom shakes his head, and Tord chuckles, closing the door, getting down, and doing push-ups again. Tom watches for a while, then comes over and sits on Tords back. Tord drops down in surprise.  
“Tom, what-”  
“Come on Tord. You can do it.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and gets up again, continuing his slightly more difficult push-ups.  
Patryck and Paul come in as Tord is about to put his uniform on. Tord glances over.  
“Oh, hello.”  
They look between him, half undressed and covered in sweat, and Tom, who still looks like he's going to pass out, and back. Tord realizes what they see, and what they learned yesterday, and his face flushes. “Wh-w-what do you need?” Tord says, putting on his coat quickly.  
Paul and Patryck share some sort of inside joke, smirking, and salute Tord. “Reporting for duty, is all. Sir.” They add respectfully.  
Tord glares at them. “Okay, then leave. Come back here in fifteen minutes.”  
Paul and Patryck leave, laughing quietly, and Tord glares at them the whole way out.  
“Well that was odd. Why were they all giggly?”  
Tord shakes his head. “It's nothing Tom.”  
“Hey Tord how many secrets do you have?”  
Tord glances at him. “Uh… a lot. Too many to count.”  
“Ant you can tell me?” Tord slopes at him curiously; and Tom shrugs. “I'm bored, is all.”  
Tord looks away and gets out a pocketknife, to open the package with.  
“I'm having the labs study biohazards so they can engineer a-”  
“Booring. Give me something fun.”  
Tord sighs and thinks for a couple minutes, forgetting about the package.  
Why not play with fire.  
“I actually do have romantic feelings for someone. I think. It's the only thing I'm insecure about. And I'm not telling you who it is.”  
Tom raises his eyebrows. “You can have feelings for someone. GASP! You can have a weakness?!?”  
Tord glares at him. “I know your secret. Speaking of, I want to establish dominion over your monster again, to make sure I can control it. I had trouble yesterday.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “Did you now.”  
“And you still say you can't do it by yourself-”  
“I can.”  
Tord stares at him. “I can change into it. I just hate it.”  
“...How?”  
“I just have to think of something that makes me angry. Its pretty easy.”  
“What do you think of?”  
Tom glares at the wall. “Zanta Claws.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “I think he rather approves of me.”  
“Of course he did you're just as evil and twisted as he is.”  
Tord winces. Ouch. “I'm not evil, just ambitious.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “I'll be in the other room.” Tord opens the door and follows him out, and into the room that already now has scratches on the floor, and stands in the corner of the room while Tom stands in the middle, crouched down and, judging from his look, thinking intensely.  
“One more thing. If I make myself mad, I don't pass out after.”  
Tord nods, already planning ahead.  
“Alright.” Tom stands up. “See you in a bit.” He growls and starts changing, standing half formed within a minute. And glares at Tord. He works his claws into the floor and roars at him, and Tord unsheathed his sword. “Come at me, beast.”


	35. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, another short one.

Tom growls, then leaps. Having gotten the hang of it, Tord sidesteps (to the left instead of the right, jut in case) and plants the sword in the middle of Toms back, one foot on his shoulders, and lifting himself up, shoving the sword deeper into Tom than he has yet, if only by half an inch.  
Toms roar is a lot more high pitched, and he shakes his whole body, making Tord fall with his arm still awkwardly stabbed into his back. He stands up and yanks it out, then stabs him in a slightly different place. Tom roars again and shakes him off, running away and growling at him.  
Tord holds his sword out. “Come on. Don't be a wuss.”  
Tom growls, muscles bunching, then leaps at him again, slightly staggering because of the stab wounds. Tord sidesteps, whipping his arm away when monster Tom tries to pin it down and bringing it back to slice at his shoulder.  
Tom quickly stands up and paces on all fours, staring at Tord.  
Tord laughs. “You're staring.”  
Tom growls and leaps again, catching his sword but still missing, and Tord kicks him to roll him over and straddles him, sword an inch from his heart. “Don't think I won't.” The monster growls ferociously and his claws stretch, ready to swipe at him, but Tom stabs him in the shoulder and Tom screams, but pulls back.  
“Now, I'm going to get off of you and give a couple orders. If you don't follow them, I will punish you.”  
Monster Tom growls at him again.  
Tord stands up an Tom gets up as well, glaring but not attacking.  
“Now, sit.”  
Tom growls the entire time that he slowly sits down.  
“Lay down.”  
The monster lays.  
“Stand up.” It stands. “Come here. If you attack, I'll stab you in the hand, or cut a finger off.”  
Tom prowls over, sitting in front of Tord. “Now roll over.” Tom does an odd rough bark of protest at him, but when Tords steady gaze holds he lays down and rolls over. Tom smirks and pets his hair. “Good boy.”  
Tom snaps his teeth at him. “Noooo Tom. Bad.”  
He tsks with the sword hand and Tom settles for mutinous glaring.  
“Go stand over there.”  
Tom stands up and stands where told.  
Tord grins. “I haven't had enough. Attack me.”  
Tom growls and paces back and forth, looking glad to do so, then leaps at Tord. Tord stabs him in the side and pins him down below him.  
“I don't think you've learned your lesson yet.”  
He stabs Tom in the shoulder blade, then pulls the sword out and crouches in front of him, smiling innocently. “You can change back now.”  
The monster whimpers and starts morphing back, turning into Tom. As soon as he's back to his normal self he rips the jacket off and winces, hand on his cut shoulder. He curls up a little bit, in ooooo much pain to bend his back too much, and glares at Tord.  
“Did you have to stab me so many times?”  
“Yes.” Tord looks down at him, then kneels behind Tom and gently touches his stabs. “I've got extra needle and thread in here, knowing what we were going to do.”  
Tord stands up and grabs the stitch thread and a needle, using a blowtorch in his hand to heat up the needle then cool it down. He grabs alcohol, wincing at memories, and a couple bandages.  
“I've got to clean it and I don't have any drugs, so sorry.”  
Tord puts the alcohol on the cloth and dabs in Toms stab wounds, wincing a little at his grunts as he tries to hold his breath. By the second would he's whimpering, and by the third he's screaming.  
Tord throws tee offensive cloth away, then gets out the needle and thread and starts to stitch it up, with only slight protests from Tom.  
Lastly, he goes the bandages around Toms chest and stands up to admire his handiwork.  
“Better?”  
Tom winces as he stands up, but nods. “Yeah. Should heal quickly, most wounds while I'm like that did.”  
He glances at his ruined jacket and sighs. Tord goes into his room and grabs a sweater of his own, then goes back to the training room, handing it to him.  
Tom holds it up, then looks at him. “It's too big.”  
“That's cause I'm taller than you, stop complaining and put it on. I'll get you a uniform to wear soon.”  
Tom sighs. “Okay.”  
He puts it on and Tord can't help think. He looks cute in it.  
Tom sees him staring and sticks his tongue out. “You're staring.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and walks away. “Go do whatever, you get a free day to recover.” Tom grins and runs off. Tord stares after him.  
Yeah, he'll never want me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I just noticed that the sentences I thought were itallics really aren't. They were in the word doc, guess it doesn't translate.   
> ANY SECOND PERSON OR FIRST PERSON OUT OF CONTEXT SENTENCES ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO BE TORDS THOUGHTS AND ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ITALLICS.  
> Sorryyyyy


	36. Battle Against the British

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, these keep getting shorter and shorter, I'll start making them longer soon.

Tord calls everyone for announcements, and waves his hand with a flourish. “I am procuring a biological weapon to be used against the strongest of opposers. Each of you will be armed with a poisonous gas gun, and a cure. You are to cure those who have been injured, including yourself. Today, however, it has not been procured. And as you all know, we move on the British base today. I want you to organize, we strike at noon.”  
He turns away and walks backstage. “Message Tom and tell him he needs to be here for the attack. I fought with him this morning and he suffered multiple stab wounds, so I gave him the day off to recover.” The leader of the third squadron nods, pulling out his phone and messaging Tom.  
Tord goes back to his room and is startled by the box he forgot about.  
“Whoops.” He walks forward, cuts the rest of the tape, and opens it. He pulls out a few robot pieces, and a note.  
Make me a robot puppy!  
-A secret admirer  
Tord rolls his eyes. He gets this sort of thing all the time. If he feels like it, he does what it says, but otherwise he trashes it. He goes to the trash can and is about to throw it away when he remembers something.  
Tom knows what's inside.  
Tord is faced with a terrifying question. Does Tom know the person who gave it to him? Or… was he the one?  
A secret admirer. It didn't sound like him.  
At all.  
Tord sighs in defeat, but can't bring himself to throw it away. He brings it to his desk and takes out the pieces, starting to put them together.  
9:30.  
He finishes the ears and attaches the tail, then sits back.  
Dogs aren't hard to make. At all. They just walk around and bark loyally.  
Tord wasn't a huge fan of dogs, he was more into cats. So independent, yet still coming to their master for their every need. He missed Ringo.  
He turns the dog on and it barks, looking at him happily. He pets it and it nuzzles his hand. “Tell me, who wanted me to make you?”  
It barks. Tord sighs. “Yeah, you wouldn't know.” Tord jumps as his door knocks, and opens it. Three assassins hold their guns at him, and Tord sighs, whipping out his pistols as he ducks under the desk.  
Rounds of fire go off, and Tord reaches around the side and shoots the first guy. The others turn to look at their fallen comrade, and they fall on top of each other. Tord presses a button that scoots them to a corner and dumps them in an incinerator.  
“I swear they get stupider every time.”  
Tord glances at the bulletproof vest, with three bullets indented into it. He grabs a pencil and pops them out. The intentions would re-inflate soon.  
Tord has a machine clean the blood and has just sat down when Tom walks in.  
“Hi Tord, I was told I'm needed. Who texted me, anyway?”  
“Your squadron leader. You mean you don't have his number saved?”  
Tom shakes his head.  
“Alright, well, today I'm testing you to put you in the next division.”  
Tom looks confused. “That fast?”  
Tord shrugs. “You have to have at least one day and pass the test. This test is fighting with a shield and a pistol. Don't worry, I won't let you die. You'll go up against a second division person.”  
Tom frowns. “Okayyy… what happens when I get to the next division?”  
Tord sighs. “You'll get better jobs, be more in charge. Once you make it to first, you have to fight Paul or Patryck to be my personal assistant. Nobody makes it, I've had them forever.” Tord grins. “That is, only if you want to.”  
Tom thinks for a moment, as though considering the options.  
“Okay, I guess I wouldn't mind that. I don't know anyone else so it'd be pretty chill with me.”  
Tord, on some odd instinct he is foreign to, walks forward and hugs Tom, one armed.  
“Better get ready.” He walks out of the room, going to check on Edd once again.  
Edd gasps, tears dried on his face. The VR headset covers his eyes, and he doesn't see Tord.  
Tord watches him, then speaks up. “Are you ready to join us?”  
Edd gasps, not hearing him at first. Then he slowly shakes his head, swallowing.  
Tord sighs and begins to walk off. Another day.  
Someone from a different cell shouts at him. “What is wrong with you? You have a chance to leave and you're not taking it?!”  
Edd whimpers as a barrage of people start shouting at him.  
Tord tsks and walks out the door before they start throwing hologram objects.  
He wanders a little and at 11:00 goes to his room, preparing by putting on his robotic armor and slinging an AK-47 rifle across his back. He packs rounds into a bag and slings it over his shoulder. Then he walks to a part of the room, presses a button on the wall, and his helmet descends from the ceiling, landing on his head. He loved his hat.  
He straps on his bag, over the rifle, and walks out the door. 11:30. He goes to the stage, and people are already gathering inside. A steady stream of people come in until at 11:48 everyone is gathered. Tord grins as he looks down on them, ready for battle.   
“Alright listen up everyone. Attention!”  
They stand in formation. He waves his hand. “Move out!” They march in a line toward the doors, streaming out. About a quarter of them get picked up in helicopters to be backup if needed, while the rest get in tanks or military jeeps and they drive toward the British military base. Tord grins, the adrenaline for battle already filling him, and gets in a helicopter with Paul and Patryck. They arrive at the battle grounds and watch as the alarms sound and British soldiers pile out onto the field, half dressed and grabbing whatever weapons they have in hand, to face the maybe 500 Red Army soldiers.  
This will be a cinch.  
Tord stands on the edge of the helicopter, ready to jump, waiting until everyone is in formation. He signals the front line and they charge. Even though they can’t hear him, he shouts for the fun of it.  
“CHARGE!”


	37. Fight and Revolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE WRITING THIS STORY

Tord jumps out of his helicopter, turning on his jetpack and hovering above the field. He loved watching the destruction.   
Red army rushed against the British, about maybe 100 people so far and still increasing. Tord drops to the front lines, maniacal grin across his face. He mows down the soldiers with his rifle, then takes off to the air again to look for a certain blue hoodie.  
He can’t find it.  
He looks around frantically then suddenly facepalms. He’s not wearing a blue hoodie, he’s wearing Tord’s. With that thought, he quickly finds him, but refrains from dropping in next to him. Instead he watches for a while, then signals to a second division soldier to watch him. He spins around and sees Matt, not doing to bad. His vanity must prevent him from getting wounds, because what if it scars?  
He drops in next to Matt and shoots at the British soldiers in the area, dodging a sword that would’ve impaled him from behind, and slaps the sword out of the way with his rifle, relishing the look on the soldier's face before he falls to his bullet.  
“Hello Tord! Tell me, is there something on my face?” Tord glances at Matt. “No…?”  
“Oh, good. I don’t want this battle to ruin my complexion.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and jetpacks to another part of the field. The sounds of battle were quickly dying down as the Red Army destroyed the other.  
When all sounds had died away, there was a minute of silence, then roars of victory filled the field. The british army had either died or retreated. Tord flew back up to the helicopter, grabbed a megaphone (enhanced to be able to be heard for a mile, adjusted lower) and flies over the crowd. “ATTENTION!” The sounds die down. “I want the second division to comb the building and take any remaining Brits prisoner. Not one is to be left behind!”   
“Sir yes sir!” A third of the soldiers march into the building.  
“The rest of you! Gather the wounded and the Red Army dead, we don’t want to leave a mess. Make your way back to the compound and I will meet you there!”  
“Sir yes sir!”  
“Make sure the wounded get medical attention. That is all.”  
“Yes sir!” There’s a flurry of movement as his orders are followed, and he drops next to Tom. The soldier he signaled to earlier stands uncertainly next to him, not sure if he should leave and comb the building or stay with Tom.  
Tord nods to him. “How did he do?”  
“He took down about 20 soldiers all on his own. I think he is ready to advance.”  
“Good. Tom, go to my office when you get back. Harry, is it? Harry, join your division in combing the building for survivors. Not ONE is to be left behind. And gather some or your group to scan the parking lot.”  
The soldier salutes and walks away. Tord looks at Tom. “Hurry now.” Tom salutes and walks away as well. Tord watches him for a minute before jetpacking up to the helicopter.  
Paul glances at him. “So how is your love interest working out?”  
“Shut the hell up, Paul.” Paul laughs as the helicopter prepares to land on the Red army launch pad.  
“I’m moving him up to the second division. He is smarter and more powerful than most of this military combined, excluding you two.”  
Paul and Patryck grin at each other at the praise.  
“Come to my office in about fifteen minutes.”   
He jumps out of the helicopter and onto the pad, going down a ladder into the building. Tom waits for him outside his office, and Tord motions him inside as he opens the door.  
He sits at his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a patch, opening another drawer and pulling out a uniform.  
“This is the uniform and patch of the second division. You have officially advanced, and I expect you to act the part.”  
Tord hands him the clothes and the patch, and notes his look of excitement. Looks like Tom was really getting into this.  
“Take it to the tailor in the third division. She’ll sew the patch on for you. Good job.” Tord smiles at him and Tom grins back, then salutes.   
“Now go, you’ll need to go to the second stage initiation, and move your stuff to your new room.” Tom nods and walks out. Tord grins. At this rate, Tom could join him by the end of the month.  
When Paul and Patryck walk in Tord is staring off into space. They wait a minute before he starts talking.   
"What is the likelyhood that Tom even wants to join me as my personal assistant?"  
Paul shifts nervously. "Uh, high."  
Patryck continues, "He worked pretty hard to get to the second division. And he doesn't even get mad about his friend in jail."  
Tord sighs, thinking about Edd. "Speaking of which, do either of you have any idea why he's so against joining me?"  
"He's a liberalist, he doesn't like lack of freedoms." Paul answers.  
"But if liberalists made up the world there would be no order! It would be chaos, back and forth people would be arguing about what part is theirs to control!"  
"You don't have to convince us, sir. We both think you're the top spot to keep others in line."  
"Thanks, Patryck, but I need Edd to join us. He has a leadership quality, he'd be a huge part of this. Check on him, will you?" Patryck nods and walks out.  
Paul stares after him, and Tord watches him.  
"How did he get you to like him?"  
Paul turns quickly toward him, and clears his throat. "Uh. I just. It developed over time. I got attracted to him. Why?"  
"And how did you two become... how did he tell you?"  
Paul laughs sheepishly. "Actually, I told him. I flat out told him I was gay for him."  
"How did he react?"  
Paul blushes. "Uh, why do you want to know?"  
"Because I want to know. Because thinking about Tomis driving me insane and I want to know so I don't make a mistake. Because I'm your leader so just answer the question." Tord frowns at him.   
"He just. Uh." Paul is flustered, and as though to save him, the alarms start going off in the building. Tord looks up quickly and stands, pushing his chair back.   
"What's going on?"  
Patryck comes rushing in, leaning against the doorway and panting for breath.  
"Patryck? What's going on?"  
Patryck swallows and takes a deep breath. "Edd led a revolution in the prison, took down the system, and is making his way through the parking lot. He's... he's escaping, with almost fifty people following."  
Tord stares. "You've got to be joking. Fifty?"  
Patryck shakes his head. Tord speed walks around his desk and beckons Paul with him. He had to put a stop to this. He runs to the part of the building, a few people seeing him and following out of curiosity. He halts at the door that opens to the parking lot. There was no sign of them.  
They were gone.  
Edd had escaped.


	38. Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing on the school computers instead of my phone like normal and got more than I thought. So here!

Tord grabs someone at random and slams them against the wall. "Find out who left. Call attendance. Go!" He throws him to the ground and the scared man nods and scrambles up, running off. Tord glares at everyone gathered there.  
"That includes you. Prepare a search party. We are going to find them, and get them back. Paul and Pat, come with me."  
Everyone scurries off and Paul and Patryck follow him to some random room, which turns out to he the prison. He walks toward the prison guard, who looks pale and terrified and lost, and grabs him by the throat with his robotic hand.  
He lifts him up in the air, speaking in low tones. "How did they escape?"  
The young man chokes, and Tord loosens his hand just enough for him to talk.  
"They... I went to trade shifts, but no one was there, and one of the prisoners had ripped off his VR and was stuck between the bars. I tried to push him back in but he used me as LEVERAGE-" he chokes and struggles against Tords hand.  
"He pulled out and slammed me into the bars, then took my keys and opened their cages. I tried to stop them, but they all ran out. I got one though."  
He points and Tord glances over at the body on the ground, then glares at the guard coldly. The man pales.  
"No no nono please please I tried to stop them I did I promise I'm sor-" Tord clenches his hand then punches him with his other hand, snapping his neck.  
He drops the body to the ground, then goes to examine the other. "Oh, it's Karl. Poor guy." He kicks the body savagely. "Should've known better. Paul get rid of these things. Patryck go see how the labs are doing. As soon as one of you is done, find tom and send him to me. I need to know if he knew anything about this."  
They both nod and scurry off, and Tord storms back to his room, picking up a folder and throwing it, kicking the robot dog, setting the desk on fire then putting it out. He punches the wall, panting and not pulling his hand out of the wall. The door opens and Paul walks in with Tom.  
"I found him, he was setting up in his room."  
Tom steps forward. "Tord? What's going on, I heard something about an escape, and a revolution." He stares around the ruined room, and Tord pulls his hand out of the wall with a sigh. "Edd and all the prisoners escaped. Ran away."  
Toms eyes widen. "Wait, Edd?"  
Tord snaps at him. "Yes, Tom. Edd. The guy in the green hoodie, you might know him, he tends to drink cola and took EVERYONE and RAN AWAY WITH THEM. I don't suppose you knew anything about this?"  
Tom glances away. "No."  
Tord strides toward him and towers over him, slamming the wall with his hand and trapping Tom there.  
"Tell me the truth!"  
Tom sighs. "I visited his cell and he tried to get me to help him get out. I almost did."  
Tord bares his teeth at him. "Then why didn't you?"  
“B-because. Well. I have three reasons.” Time for Tord to get a checklist ready.  
“For one thing, I was worried about what you would do. For another, I thought he was being unreasonable, he’s making it a lot harder than it needs to be. Don’t give me that look, you were too-” Tord slams his other hand against the wall and hisses disdainfully, “And the third reason?”  
Tom bites his lip and blushes a little.  
“What?”  
Tom looks away. “No reason. That's all.”  
Paul grins, cheering them on in his head.  
“I don’t believe you.”  
“Well. I, uhh. I owe you, for things, and I have yet to repay it and stuff.” Tom sighs and looks down.  
Tord stares at him, not sure why he feels oddly disappointed. He backs away. “Okay. So you knew this but you didn’t tell me.”  
“It didn’t seem overly important. I mean, anyone would ask you to help get them out, especially a friend.” Tord glances at him, and realizes something. With everything going on, it’s easy to forget that Tom was friends with Edd. So it means that… Tom chose him over Edd.  
Who else was friends with Edd?  
“Paul. Find Matt and bring him here.”  
Paul nods and speeds off. Tord glances at Tom.  
“Thanks.”  
Tom stares at him. “For what?”  
“For not betraying us. Me. The red army. I know you hated me, and you had every right to, so thank you for-”  
“I don’t hate you anymore. I mean, you’re the number one person capable of pissing me off. But when you showed me this side of you I realized that I admire you more than I hate you. It just, makes sense. You’re super powerful and you don’t feel out of place anymore. That sounded a lot sappier than I meant it to. Ignore me I’m babbling.”  
Tord was already pretending to ignore him but couldn’t help feeling happy at Tom looking up to him. Whyyyy did this guy affect him so strongly?  
He recovers from his momentary distraction when Paul comes back.  
“I, uh, found him.” Matt walks in behind him, looking miserable in handcuffs.  
Tord's eyes widen. “Uh… why is he cuffed?”  
“Well, he says he was in the-”  
“I can tell him, thank you. I was standing in the hallway and a bunch of people came running down it, and Edd was in front. Then he shoves me aside and says ‘No time to explain, I’ll see you later!’ and runs away. A couple people in the middle of the stampede just grabbed me and cuffed me before walking off, and I fell and couldn’t get up! Someone almost stepped on my precious face! The horror, am I right?”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Take them off.” Paul holds out a tiny robot that jumps onto the handcuffs, and a couple seconds later they pop off.  
“Thank you, that hurt my shoulders.” Matt shakes his arms out and glances at Tord, rubbing his wrists. “Can I go take a nap?”  
“Sure. We will be meeting in the cafeteria in about fifteen minutes, so be ready for that.”  
Matt nods importantly and walks out.  
Tord sighs. “Why is this happening?”  
Patryck walks in. “They have five different weapons to use but haven’t procured a cure yet.”  
Tord stares at him for a second before remembering that he told him to check on the lab work for a biological weapon.  
“Okay. Somebody see if they’ve made a search party yet.”  
Paul speed walks out and Patryck salutes and walks out as well. Tom is about to follow when Tord tells him to wait.  
“I want to talk to you.”


	39. Confession Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 8)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh heh heh  
> Okay, this is probably my shortest, and will forever be my shortest, chapter yet.  
> I'm sorry, but for plot reasons, I had to end it there.  
> Sorry not sorry about where I ended it though.

“What about?” Tom stands in front of him, hands in his pockets. “Is this going to have something to do with how odd you’ve been acting around me lately?”  
Tord holds up a finger, then stops. “Uhh…”  
“You may as well tell me, I will start guessing. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”  
Tord retaliates. “What about you? You’ve been acting odd too.”  
“More like reacting to this newfound secret that woah, you’re the leader of some giant and powerful army that’s going to take over the world. You can't change the subject, and you don’t have the same excuse. You knew most of the things about me, except the monster thing.”  
Tord narrows his eyes. This was going to be hard. Especially if he was going to tell him.  
No, he can't do that. Tom would not accept it.  
“I just like being back and finally making a move. Plus, you said it yourself. You didn’t know this side of me. Is it any surprise I’m acting differently?”  
Tom narrows his eyes. “Remember back in the hospital room, when you ran off? Remember what I asked before that?”  
Tord strains to remember. Tom takes a step closer, a couple feet away. “I asked you why you were worried about saving me. And you just ran off.”  
Tord swallows and takes a step back, bumping against the desk. Tom steps closer again, smirking.  
“So tell me Tord. Why do you care so much? Why were you so intent on saving me that you sacrificed three soldiers vision?” He takes another step closer, less than a foot away.  
“You aren’t saying anything.”  
“I don’t- I was-” Tord is shaking ever so slightly, his cheeks red. Tom was too close, he could see every detail about him, adrenaline was running through him-  
“Just answer the question.”  
Tord takes a breath and looks up at the ceiling, deciding to just tell him. If worst comes to worst, Tord can just kill him to keep him quiet. Even though he knows he wouldn’t do that.  
“I think about you a lot more than I should. I think I like you Tom. You’re not just a soldier to me, you’re more. I don’t know why, I don’t know when it happened, but-”  
Tom taps his chest to get his attention, and he looks down.  
Tom takes a step forward, closing the distance.  
“Shut up, Tord.” He grabs Tord’s face.  
And pulls him down a little.  
And kisses him.  
Tord stands there and grips the desk as though his life depends on it, eyes wide, hormones and emotions flowing through him uncontrollably. He breathes short, quick breaths.  
It only lasts a second, maybe two, but to Tord it feels like forever.  
Tom pulls away, stares at him for a second, then turns and walks away. In his shocked state, Tord makes no move to stop him.  
He looks up after almost a minute, pale and frozen, still unable to make out what he’s feeling.  
He sees someone whisking away, and launches into action, slamming into the door frame in time to see Patryck whisk around the corner, laughing. His face goes red.  
So much for pretending it never happened.  
Tord closes the door and leans against the wall, head facing upwards. Words started to form semi comprehensively in his mind, if a bit fast.  
Did this mean Tom liked him Tom and he wouldn’t do that if he was anything less than what did this mean was Tom feeling the same way what would he say next time he saw him did he do it right oh god he didn’t do it right he messed it all up it’s all his fault Tom would hate him now-  
He puts his head in his arms, grinning and about to cry at the same time.  
Then he realizes something that makes him pale.  
He forgot to tell him.  
The real reason he kept Tom back wasn’t to tell him he liked him.  
He covers his mouth in horror. How would he say it now?  
Edd was too cunning, was suctioned to the wrong side, was too powerful.  
Tord forgot to tell Tom that if he ever saw Edd again… he would have to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your torture, I can't post again till tomorrow.


	40. Aftermath Number 100

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeee feels and more PTSD

Paul and Patryck arrive as soon as they’re called. They look wary but as though they’re trying to squash grins.  
Tord glares at them. “First things first, if you mention what Pat saw EVER, I will personally hunt you down and kill you. That is not to be spoken of.”  
They both grin but nod.  
“Now, I called you here because I have a new order. If anyone sees Edd, and if he isn’t surrendering, they have permission to shoot on sight.”  
“Yes sir…” Paul looks nervously at Patryck, and back at Tord. “But…”  
“Don’t question my orders. I am not in the mood to be disobeyed. Understand?”  
“Yes sir.”  
Paul and Patryck stand at attention, putting on their straight face. Tord closes his eyes for a moment and tries not to remember Tom walking closer, skeptically asking questions he already knew the answer to. He goes over why he hated him.  
And is visited once again by vivid memories of the crash.  
The terror of not knowing if he’d be crushed.  
The glass stabbing into his eye.  
The wait under a pile of rubble.  
Falling.  
He falls against the desk and slides to the ground, clutching his head and breathing heavily. In the back of his mind he hears Paul asking what’s wrong and shouting at Patryck to get something. Water? Ice?   
The explosion ripping into his arm.  
The sound of the harpoon piercing the robot.  
Falling.  
Slamming against the ground.  
Choking for air, the slab of metal slamming down, covering him and terrifying him at the same time.  
He feels Paul shaking him, trying to get him to drink something. Water. He grabs the glass but Paul has to help him so he doesn’t spill, and he swallows, the images starting to flow away.   
Actually, everything was flowing away. The darkness and quiet was kinda nice.

He comes to a couple minutes later, Paul and Patryck talking to each other anxiously across the room. He sits up, wincing, and they look over. “What happened?!” Patryck asks, and Tord just shakes his head. He uses the desk to help himself stand, limping to his chair and sighing, putting his head on his desk.  
Patryck tries again. “Sir? What happened?”  
Tord thumps his head against the desk. “There’s something wrong with me.”  
Paul whispers something in Patrycks ear and he smacks Paul’s chest, whispering “No.”  
“What’s wrong?”  
“This is the second time that happened. I got images in my mind of the crash, and it wouldn’t leave.” Tord’s voice shudders and he turns his head away. Paul waits a moment, then steps forward. “Do you think… maybe…”  
Tord stares at him, waiting.  
“Don’t, uh, kill me for asking, but do you think it’s because your emotions are running high?” Tord stares at him for a few seconds before answering.  
“Maybe.” He sighs and sits up, staring off into space. Suddenly his gaze hardens, and he looks at the two of them. “I need to stay away from… him. Otherwise I will be distracted. Make sure he doesn’t come down this hallway. Paul, give me status on the search party.”  
“Organized and about to leave, after gathering as much evidence as possible.”  
“They have access to a search copter?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Good. Paul I need you to gather everyone for an announcement, we have no time to waste. We need all of our forces to advance on the British. If we do what’s necessary, we may own the UK within the week.” He grins. “I need you to prepare a draft, as well. Our army needs to be a lot bigger. We aren’t even using half of this base. We will need about, oh, ten thousand. Got it? Patryck, you stay here with me until we have a battle plan ready. Now go!” He shoos Paul off with his hand, and he grins and runs out. Patryck stays and helps edit his plan to move on the palace. They knew the exact layout, they just needed to know who should go where. Within minutes the announcement was made, and Tord leads his army once again to battle, ready to take the world one country at a time.


	41. Takeover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a crappy takeover. It doesnt work like that, but you know what whatever.  
> Heres tord becoming leader of a nation

They begin their invasion of the palace and are instantly met with the security guards of the place. Tord watches from the sky as they are taken over quickly by the 50 men there. Why fifty?  
Tord isn’t stupid, he knows that there are several government buildings, and that they can't take over until he owns every part. He sent a sixth of his soldiers to the six top government buildings, taking everyone in it prisoner. It went pretty quickly, too, seeing as Tord had made portable teleporters for everyone.  
It was a high scale attack by highly trained and armed soldiers, with unknown backups. This takeover wouldnt be flawless, but it would be easy, and they would begin a draft tomorrow morning. It was 17:00 when they advanced.  
Paul and Patryck were not with the attacks. They had gone to virally take over every screen in the nation, to announce what they were doing and their new leadership, as well as the draft and punishments for resistance (Immediate death of themselves and anyone suspected to support them.)  
They made it inside the building, killed the extra security and bodyguards, and captured the queen and the leaders that had been meeting to talk about the takeover of the top military base. They were put into a military jeep (separately) and taken to the base with the other hostages. Tord couldnt help laughing. That went smoothly. Now to see how everyone else was doing.  
He checked the news. Three of the buildings were already taken over, one of the buildings was having trouble with police, and the last was almost done. Tord ordered anyone not holding down the fort or backups to help the police infestation.  
Within fifteen more minutes, Tord had control of every government building. Now for part two.  
Tord orders everyone to split off into their small divisions, where they will swarm the police departments and either take people into the army or kill them. That, too, goes effortlessly, with over 400 enlistments.  
Evacuation alarms begin to sound all over the country. Finally.  
Tord orders the majority of his soldiers to keep track of every route out of the country, capturing anyone who tried to escape. He glances at his charts that show everyone that joins his army and smirks. Over two thousand had joined, and the numbers were growing rapidly.  
Tord began to prepare himself. For one thing, thousands of assassination attempts are plausible, so he had already made himself (and over 100 people in his army, through mass production) a transparent armor suit, able to stop bullets without harming the wearer in any way. In the event of an explosion, it would hold back about 80% of the force. It cut 50% of the force in a tank shot, though it would make the wearer fly back about thirty meters, and would keep the wearer alive in an atom bomb. Maybe.  
For another, he had to employ military use everywhere to make sure they followed his command. Now that it was bigger, he had a looser grip, though he also had a solution.  
A device would be planted on every member, keeping track of their behavior and movement, and able to detect if they were rebelling. And kill them, on Tords command. He contacted his industry workers and sent them blueprints of such a device, and production began at top speed.  
Within hours, they had relatively secured 90% of the country. Time for Tord to reveal himself.  
He teleported to where Paul and Patryck were streaming and dropped to the ground. They glanced at him for affirmation, and he nodded. They turned the camera over to him.  
“Citizens of the UK, I say hello! Most of you won’t even know who I am. As for my fifty thousand or so undercover soldiers, I thank you. You have helped me secure this country and gain complete control. Now, for those of you who don’t know who I am, I am Red leader. I expect you to refer to me as such. You have heard the warnings already, and now I have a warning for any other country that gets any ideas. If you think that I would be an easy take-down, even after seeing me take an entire country in less than two days, think again. I have over a hundred nuclear missiles and I am most definitely not afraid to use them on anyone who gets in my way. As for my army. If anyone thinks of defecting, I will make sure you are marked as Kill On Sight. Red leader, looking forward to an obedient country. That is, if you value your life.”  
With that message, he grins at the camera, and all the screens black out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also for the thousandth time, sorry it's short.


	42. Orders and Wow, More Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally official. That took FOREVER.

They were gathered in the training field, because there wasn’t enough room in the cafeteria for all the people who joined. Tord watched the last of them trickle in, all the newcomers split into groups with a trained soldier leading them. Tord waited until he saw no one coming in, then held out his hands. “Good evening, everyone!”  
There was a huge uproar and everyone applauded. Tord grinned, then cupped his ears when it died down. “I’m sorry, what was that?”  
They cheered louder. “Alright, alright, settle down.”  
Eventually everyone got quiet. “As most of you should already know, I am Red Leader. I was the leader of the army that, in two days, took over a country.”  
Cheers at that. “Every one of my orders is law, now. I will not be questioned, I cannot be assassinated. Now that you know that, let’s get started on a, well, debrief of sorts.” He begins pacing. “I am leader of this army. My seconds in command are Paul and Patryck, and they are to be listened to as well, UNLESS something they say contradicts one of my orders. But that should never happen. When you see them, you are to greet them as you would greet me. Understand?”  
“YES SIR”  
“The soldiers that brought you in here,” He continues, directing his words to the newcomers, “Are your captains until you test to be in a higher division. They will train you, test you, and provide you privileges. Understand?”  
“Yes sir”  
“Good. Captains, you are in charge of, as I said, training the newcomers, testing them for second division, and giving them privileges when earned. I have sent some trusted people among you to make sure you don’t show favoritism, and that you punish those who require discipline. Understood?”  
“Yes sir!” They all look happy about it.  
“Good. Now, before the invasion, I was preparing a draft. However, we now have over 20,000 people enlisted and” On the jumbotron, which had been showing Tord, it now showed the stats for how many people had joined, and continued to climb. “Ever more are joining. Fear maybe, that I’m going to kill them if they don’t. Whatever the reason, this is a time of celebration. I now declare today a national holiday, the day the ‘war’” he rolls his eyes. “For the UK was won.” Everyone cheered. “Alright, alright. Captains, train your troops. Newcomers, follow orders as though your life depends on it. And celebrate!”  
Everyone cheers and a jet shoots by overhead, dropping confetti on everyone. As soon as it touched the ground, Tord pressed a button on the remote in his pocket, fastening microscopic but highly intelligent chips to everyone there, and would be used to document their every move. There’s an uproar of cheering all over the field, and they break. Tord grins at them, then turns and walks to his office, Paul and Patryck following. Along the way he runs into a few hundred people that wanted his autograph, but he ignores all of them and went into his room, shooing people out, and settles at his desk, closing the door.  
He is grinning so wide he feels like it’ll be implanted into his face. “Guys, I just took over an entire country.” He’s shaking and leans against the desk for support. Paul and Patryck are grinning too, and seem as though they don’t know how to react. Paul suddenly hugs Patryck, and Tord laughs, then uses his forearm screen to contact Tom, calling him to his room. A few minutes later there’s a tentative knock on the door, and Tord looks at the camera before opening it, worried about a paparazzi. Tom walks in, and Tord walks forward and hugs him excitedly, quickly letting go and closing the door again. He dashes to his desk and pulls up the desk hologram, programming it so it shows the intel from the devices now attached to every single rookie and veteran in the army.  
Tord studies it for a moment, then informs Paul of a revolt in 3C. Paul rushes out, still grinning, and Patryck joins him.  
Tord routes the information to them both so they know if they need to stop a revolt anytime.  
Then he turns to Tom, who just sorta stands there awkwardly.  
“Congrats on taking over the UK.” Tom smiles at him, and Tord stands up.  
“Shall we address the elephant in the room then?” Tord asks, somewhat awkwardly.  
Toms smile dies but he nods. “Yeah, we probably should.”  
“First things first, I’m making you my personal assistant. With everything happening I can’t wait for you to test and raise to higher levels. I have seen you on the battlefield and how you do what people ask, eh, most of the time.”  
Tom smirks.  
“So you’re my personal assistant now, and my personal wildcard. Speaking of which, I should practice with your monster again sometime soon.”  
Tom frowns but nods.  
“Second to last thing.” Tord pulls up a video on his hologram desk, showing a revolt in England.  
“They call themselves the Green Revolt, and they’re resisting my hold. Leading them, is…” He zooms in on a certain part of the video, and Tom’s eyes widen. Standing at the head of the charge, in his green hoodie as normal, was Edd.  
Tord studies Tom’s reaction carefully. “I need you to side with me over Edd. Understood?”  
Tom is quiet for a minute, and Tord starts to worry. Then he nods. “Yes sir.”  
“Lastly…” Tord ignores his slight adrenaline spike. Oh jeez. “We have, ehm, established my er, feelings, for you.” He looks away. “And… your response…”  
He takes a breath. “I need to clarify with you what exactly is going on between us. If it’s nothing, then I will lay off. If it is something, I need to know.”  
Tord doesn’t see how Tom reacts, too busy anxiously studying the floor. Oh hey look, a special piece of dirt.  
“Well, I mean, do you want to be my boyfriend?” Tord looks up quickly. Tom looks almost as nervous as he feels, and he grins as he registers the question.  
“Absolutely.” Tord walks forward, heartbeat speeding up quickly, and puts a hand on Tom’s face, leaning down and kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let it be known that on the forty second chapter Tom and Tord FINALLY FREAKING GOT TOGETHER. FINALLY.
> 
> Also, out of curiosity (Please answer in the comments)  
> Who do you think would be top/bottom?


	43. Celebrate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has a bad end, sorry...

Tom pouts when Tord finally pulls away. Ten seconds, said his brain chip.   
“Why do I have to be the shorter one?” Tord smirks.  
“Because it wouldn’t be fair if the leader of an army was shorter than his boyfriend, now would it?”  
Tom glares at him. “I don’t care.”  
“It’s only by a little bit.” Tord argues, then glances away when he receives a message on his hologram, going quickly to look at it.  
“Ahhhh crap.”  
“What?”  
“The world leaders want to meet with me.”  
Tom snorts. “Good luck appealing to them. ‘Hey guys, I’m gonna take over the world and maybe kill you, nice to meet you!’” Tord punches his shoulder lightly. “Shut it Tom, I know what I’m going to do.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “Okay, whatever. When is it?”  
“17:00 tomorrow.”  
“What time is it now?”  
“Night.” He smirks at Tom’s skeptical look. “It’s 20:00”  
“Ah. So, what are you going to do before then?” Tom leans against the desk, arms crossed, next to Tord. Tord shrugs.  
“Probably prepare my speech, or-”  
“Or you could celebrate. You took over a country, you’re one step closer to attaining the world. Have fun.”  
Tord sighs. “The only thing I find exhilarating is battle.”  
“Weeeellll… then let’s do something I find fun.” Tord glances at him. “And what is that?”  
“Open the door.” Tord does, and Tom grabs his hand and takes him to the helicopter pad.  
“Uhhh why here?”  
“Because helicopters are fun, and I need to go to my apartment.” Tord sighs and starts it up, taking off, then comes back and sits with Tom, who looks confused. “Don’t you have to fly it?”  
Tord laughs. “No, its automatic. Everything I have is automatic.”  
Shots hit the bottom of the helicopter, and Tom jumps, saying “Holy motherboard of macaroons!”  
Tord peers over the edge. His gaze hardens.  
“Who is it?”  
“The… Green Revolt. An attack on the base. It’s a small group though, we’ll be-”  
He’s cut off by an explosion. “We’ll probably be fine. Our base is protected in and out.”  
He fidgets for a moment, then says “I should probably go back.” Tom shakes his head. “No, your army is more than capable of protecting your base. It’ll be fine. Just relax until tomorrow, that’s when the fun starts. And probably doesn’t stop, for a while.”  
They touch down on the roof of the apartments, but before they get out Tord holds an arm out.   
“Stay behind me, I haven’t given you the anti-assassination body armor yet. Be careful, okay?”  
Tom nods tentatively, and they get out and rush to Tom’s room. Some people were gathered outside the front door of the complex, having heard word that Tord’s old friends lived there.  
Tord locks the door quickly, then slaps a device on the handle that kept it from opening through electricity. He turns to Tom. “So what’s your idea?”  
Tom grins, then reaches for his wine rack and grabs a bottle of Smirnoff. “Get drunk and play two-person truth or dare.”  
Tord narrows his eyes skeptically. “Wow, sounds great and as though NOTHING could go wrong.”  
“Nothing at all!” Tom unscrews the cap and swallows a mouthful, then hands the bottle to Tord. “Try some, it’s good.”  
Tord takes it, skeptically staring at it. He hadn’t had alcohol in forever, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Getting drunk was a distraction from his work.   
So was celebrating.  
He sighs and takes a small sip, startled as always by the odd feeling, then swigs a sixth of the bottle at once. Tom takes the bottle back and fills a couple glasses, handing one to Tord.   
“I call going first. Tord, truth or dare?”  
This was a hard one. Tord had a lot of things to hide. But he didn’t really trust Tom’s dares, whatever they may be.  
“Truth, then.”  
“What is your darkest secret?”  
Yeaaaaah he knew it. “Can we play something else?”  
“Only if we absolutely have to. I will be very disappointed.”  
Tord sighs. “Ask a different question.” Tom’s face falls. “Okay then, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”  
“That’s the same thing!” Tord snaps. Tom sighs and scoots closer to him, leaning his head on Tord’s shoulder, hand on his knee.  
“Fine then. What is your darkest secret that you are willing to tell me?”  
Tord thinks about this. “Ehm… when I first started the army I planned on blowing it up if things ever went wrong to get rid of the evidence.”  
Tom’s eyes widen. “Wow.”  
And Tord realizes he’s doing the hand thing again, where he slides his hand up his thigh. Tord hisses at him, but he doesn’t stop till he’s in the crook of his hip. Tord’s face is red. “Tom stop.”  
“Okay.” He leaves his hand there, and Tord moves it away, abashed.


	44. End Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing this. So much.

Tord looks at his arm when he gets a message. “Ohhhhh no Tom I have to go.”  
“No, come on Tord.” Tom complains. Tord glares at him. “It’s an emergency! Somebody disabled our defense systems and I have to go fix them!”  
Tom glares at him, and Tord groans exasperatedly. “Tom, I can’t leave here without you, please stop complaining and come on!” He helps an unsteady Tom to his feet, then they stumble back to the helicopter, which takes off and heads to the base.  
Tord taps his fingers, a nervous habit, and Tom just watches him. “Tord?”  
Tord glances at him. “What?”  
“Do you think Edd will be there?” Tord did. But he didn’t want to tell Tom that. He sighs and looks away.  
“Yeah, Tom. I do think he’ll be there.”  
The helicopter flies over the base, and Tord looks over the edge, eyes widening. “Woah.” Tom joins him.  
“That’s got to be at least a couple thousand. They really grew.” Tom notes helpfully. Tord fidgets, and when the copter lands he jumps out and darts for a huge control panel. Tom jogs over to him. “What’s that for?”  
“It’s the defense system. A wire’s been cut somewhere behind this panel.” He ducks behind it and searches frantically. “Ah! Here.” He had put a soldering iron in his robotic hand, and he soldered the wires back together then tapes it, coming out from behind and pressing the power button. The screen lights up, and he presses a few buttons. Tom leans over his shoulder curiously, and Tord hisses “Don’t touch!”  
Tom holds his hands up in surrender and continues to watch. There’s a loud explosion, and Tord grins. The garage opens and lets out a few tanks, which begin to fire on the Green Revolt. A whistling sound is heard as a bomb drops, then another explosion.   
Tord sits back when he hears a cry from the Green Revolt. “RETREAT!!!”  
Tom looks impressed as the tanks come back inside. “You really worked on this place.”  
Paul and Patryck walk into the garage, looking worn out.   
“Jeez, sir, putting just the two of us in charge of stopping every little rebellion felt like punishment.”  
Tord rolls his eyes at them. “You handled it. I’ll make a show of force later.”  
“Where were you two, anyway? I was looking for you a few minutes ago and you weren’t there.”  
“None of your business.” Tord grumbles and steps back after resetting the defense systems. “A couple things you two need to know. I have a meeting with the world leaders tomorrow, and I will need you two there to keep me from murdering everyone. Two, I have made Tom my personal assistant. Three… er.” He glances at Tom, who sighs and continues for him.  
“I’m also his boyfriend now.” Paul pumps his fist and high fives Patryck. “What did I tell you, eh?”  
Patryck rolls his eyes. “Fine, whatever.” He hands Paul some cash. Tord glares at them. “Do you two bet on my every action?”  
“Only in your love life. So far, Paul has won about eight bets-”  
“No, nine! The height one counts!” Patryck sighs. “Yeah, there is that one. Anyway, don’t mind us, we won’t bother you too much about it.”  
Tom is snickering but Tord glares at them. “You’re betting on aspects of my- why??”  
Paul holds up two fingers. “For one, it’s fun, and for two, I’m getting rich. I have a question though, who asked who out?”  
Tom answers, since Tord is too embarrassed for this kind of conversation. Tom doesn’t really care. “I officially did, but he told me he liked me first, after I sorta… pressured him.” He grins sideways at Tord, who stays silent.  
Patryck holds his hand out, grinning, and Paul hands half the cash back. “That’s two for me now, and ten for Paul.”  
Tord steps between them. “Okay, this is off track we have things to do other than betting on stuff that is none of your business let’s just go to my room and prepare what I’m going to tell the council okay?”  
They follow, laughing and talking to Tom while Tord grumpily stalks ahead. A paper was on the ground outside his door, and Tord picks it up, opens the door, and sits at his desk to read it.  
All throughout the message, his dread starts to build.

Hey there Tord. It’s Edd.  
Taking over an entire country may not have been the best idea.  
I thought I didn’t stand a chance against you, but wow is our revolutionary committee growing!  
I have about 10 thousand people now. Thanks!  
I don’t want to hate you Tord. But I can’t let you take over the world. I heard you’re talking to the world leaders tomorrow.

“How?!” Tord whispers, then keeps reading.

They invited me to come as well. Maybe I can talk you out of this. If not, then I’ll see you in about a week! After tomorrow of course.  
President of the revolt (but certainly not a dictator)  
Edd.

Tord drops the paper and sighs, combing his hand through his hair. “Ahhhh this is bad. What does he mean, see me in a week?”  
Suddenly he sits up quickly, as an idea sparks. He asks Paul and Patryck about it, and they go over pros, cons, and how to prepare for if something goes wrong. Tom speaks up with reluctant approval, and they devise a plan.  
Tord grins. He knows exactly how he will take over the world.  
It all starts tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One important notice, one interesting thing.
> 
> Important notice: Sometime soon, I'm going to start posting chapters. It's not going to be a fanfiction, it will be my own original story. See, I've had this idea for a while, but not been able to continue it. However, I think posting something helps me stay motivated.  
> I don't expect to get many people reading it, since it's not a fanfic. If you want to read it, feel free. I'm just putting it up there.
> 
> Second thing. At the moment in this chapter when Tord has an idea, it was right after I had a really good idea as well. Hope you like!


	45. That Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am really busy today, sorryyyyy  
> And I haven't posted my own story yet, I will soon.

Tord puts all his papers in a robotic briefcase when Paul and Patryck leave to go home, but Tom stays behind. Tord suddenly remembers and pulls a transparent armor suit out of his bottom drawer. He hands it to Tom, who looks confused.  
“Put this on, under your clothes. It’s armor, and it will protect you from deadly assults, like gunshots, stabs, and explosions. It can block most of a tank shot, and you can be a suicide bomber minus the suicide. But I don’t recommend it. And it doesn’t block out touch. Only deadly or harmful blows.”  
“So I can still feel it when you touch me?”  
“Shut up Tom.” Tord looks away to hide his blushing face, and Tom laughs. “Alright, want me to change in this bathroom?” He points, and Tord nods. “Better now than later.”  
Tom changes and comes out, then glances toward the door. “You want to stay at my place? Sleeping on a desk doesn’t seem very comfortable.”  
Tord shrugs, sets his briefcase to “heel”, so it hovers at his side. “Let’s go. Do you want to take the helicopter again?”  
“Nah, just some unobtrusive car- OOOOOO LET’S TAKE THE TANK!!!” He dashes toward the tank then is stopped when Tord grabs his hood.  
“No Tom, we are not taking the tank to the apartments.” Tom sighs. “Come oooooon Tord why nooooot? You’re always ruining my fun.”  
“You’re ruining your own fun by trying to do stupid things. I’ll take the car, okay?”  
“Fiiiiiine.”  
Tord drives them to the apartments and they go to Tom’s apartment. Tord pushes a button on the device he attached to the doorknob.  
Tom watches him curiously. “So how did you do that anyway? How did you make any of the stuff you have, actually? You must be the most inventive person in history.”  
Tord grins. “I have an IQ of 226. That’s two lower than the smartest person in the world.”  
Tom stares at him. “Should I be scared?”  
“Yes Tom. Be very afraid.” Tom rolls his eyes. “That’s a no. So, now can I get properly drunk?”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Do whatever you want, I don’t care as long as you don’t get alcohol poisoning, and as long as you are normal at the meeting tomorrow.”  
Tom sighs, putting the bottle back. “Nevermind then.” He glances at Tord with a seductive look. “Could I-”  
“No.”  
“What? I didn’t say any-”  
“You didn’t have to. I could tell.”  
Tom pouts at him but doesn’t complain, opening the fridge and looking for something to eat. “Leftover pizza, anyone?” No answer. “Yes, I respond.” He pulls out a box and microwaves the pizza. Tord steals a couple pieces, and they make small talk about what they’d do if they were in charge of the world.  
“Everyone has to give me naptime whenever I want. I’ll have a few zanta claws punching bags, that I’d never use, a few Christmas burning montage making rooms.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of controlling the laws in every country but if that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you.”  
“Oh, no, that’s only the third thing. Second would be Susan. Somebody has to fix her, and I don’t want a new one. It wouldn't be the same. And the first thing I want... “ He glances at Tord. “Eh, don’t worry about it.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Okay.”  
“We should get to bed.”  
“I guess.”  
“You can sleep with me.”  
Tord glances quickly at Tom, who smirks. “Not like that, unless you want to.” Tord glares at him and looks away. “I will sleep in your bed. Nothing more.”  
Tom grins and jerks his head, indicating to follow him. Tord sighs and follows him into his room, a feeling of anticipation in his gut.  
Tom glances at him, then strips down to his boxers, Tord quickly looking away, and gets into the bed.  
Tord gets in fully clothed and faces away from Tom, not really able to sleep for a few minutes. Tom scoots closer behind him and puts an arm over his chest, head on his shoulder. Tord tenses, then happily (not that's he'd ever admit it) sinks into sleep.


	46. Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahhahaha

Tom wakes up again a couple hours later and tried to himself from Tords quite tangled grip, but accidentally woke him up. Tord sits up, rubbing his eyes sleepily, and glances at Tom. “Whht time s’it?”  
“Uh…”  
“Nevvmind.” Tord shakes his head and stretches.  
Tom leans forward and sniffs him (Tord giving him an odd look) then says, “You're going to have to wear something else, after sleeping in that.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “I have another outfit at my office.”  
“We'll go change then. Might want to shower too, I can't tell when the last time you did that was.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Okay, mom. Since when did you start bossing me around?”  
Tom sighs and gets up. “Since never, it's not my business, I'm just worried about our rai- the meeting today.”  
“It is your business, if I'm going to be using your shower.”   
“I suppose.”  
Tord walks out and calls over his shoulder, “Be back in a minute.”  
Tom doesn't respond, just showers and changes.  
Tord stands in the living room and uses the teleporter to go to his office, opening the bottom drawer where he keeps his changes of clothes and armor. “Won't need that anymore.”  
He teleports back, and hears the shower on, deciding to wait out in the living room.  
He drums his fingers nervously on the floor, looking forward to the day but also dreading everything that could go wrong. It could EASILY go wrong. Was it worth it?  
Tom walks into the room, dressed up in his (washed) uniform.  
“I'm out.”  
Tord stands up and takes the bathroom, coming out and combing his hair with his fingers to its normal position.   
It was 10:28.  
They drive to the compound and find Paul and Patryck waiting at the door. “Hello you two.”   
“Hello sir.” They salute, hiding smirks when they note his wet hair, and that he's arriving with Tom.  
“We thought you'd be here already.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at them. “I was at Tom's place. Sleeping. And slept in, everyone does it. Now where are we meeting the world leaders?”  
“I don't know, I don't have the email.” Paul shrugs apologetically. Tord sighs and checks himself. “We're meeting in America. Washington D.C. Dang, it's too late to take a plane or something. Jet? No.”  
He paces, talking to himself. “I think teleporting that far is safe. Yeah, distance doesn't matter too much when teleporting. Alright, everyone, I need you to prepare what you will say when walking in. Expect a crowd of press, media, or even rioting outside the White House. Take your anti-detector guns, so they don't find them. They'll probably think my arm is a hazard, I'll just show them it's as normal as it gets. And that I can't just take my arm off.” He narrows his eyes at Tom, part teasing and part exasperated. Tom sticks his tongue out at him, and he turns away. “Also, we have to account for whatever and whoever Edd might bring. Check the news, I need to know about riots or protesting.”  
Patryck does so and informs him of an attack on the bank in London.   
“Ha! Send some troops there to clean it up.”  
Paul messages troop F2 and soon the news broadcast changes, and the robbers are quickly brought to the holding cells.  
“How are we going to take care of the politicians we captured? Kill them? That seems like the quickest way, but it's also the messiest. Part of what's keeping some of Britain grounded is that they think that their leaders are still alive. Kill them, and they'll find no reason to hold back. We need our troops to be as widespread as possible. They need to be notified that we are taking over, so they can get ready to spread out. Aaaagh, we'll need an army of more than a million to control the world! And we need it to be from all countries. How are we going-”   
He stops. Then turns to the three of them, just standing there, waiting for him to ride out his rant.  
“Patryck, check on the bio weapon.”   
“Oh, actually, I was going to tell you about that. They found a cure, and tested it about a hundred times, and the virus doesn't mutate. But, it has a complicated cure, and they only have about three hundred vials made. As soon as you get the cure, you can't be affected again.”  
Tord nods. “That's one way to go about it. How long will it be before they can make a million?”  
Patryck looks nervous. “Uh, a week at least, maybe a month.”  
“Well that doesn't help very much. It does, if we don't mind-” he stops again, another realization coming to him. “Or…”  
They wait a minute, then Tom questions him.  
“What… would happen, if we killed half the population?”  
Tom pales. “Uh.”  
Tord grins. “That would make things so much easier. Horrible, yeah, but it would work. We'd just have to go anonymous. Then the world would be so much easier to control! The world is overpopulated anyway.”  
He looks at Tom, grinning, ignoring Paul and Patryck. “What do you think?”  
“I think that's a horrible idea.” Tord frowns and Tom continues. “Killing half the population is sure to put a bad name on you. Instead, just reduce repopulation. Don't let people have kids, or something. You'll have ultimate control, it won't be hard to do. But killing half the population is stupid, and inconve-” Tom’s cut short by Tords glare. “You can critique my idea but do NOT call it stupid, or I will consider it an insult to me and treat it likewise.”  
Tom smirks and walks forward. “What're you going to do, oh courageous leader?”  
Tord raises an eyebrow as Tom leans forward to stage-whisper in his ear. “Punish me?”  
Tord goes red and pushes Tom away. “Stop it.”  
“Or what?” Tom sticks out his tongue.  
“Stop!”  
Paul and Patryck snicker to each other.  
“Punish me leader, I've done a bad thing.”  
“STOP IT TOM!”  
Tom laughs and walks away. “Guess we figured that out. So, stupid idea. Try something else.”  
Tord glares at him for a minute, then sighs loudly and turns to Paul and Patryck. “You two can stop giggling over there like teenagers and give me your input.”  
“Well, it does have a lot of downsides,” says Patryck immediately. “Someone would figure out who it was, and stop you. Or something. Everyone would be against you. But I like Tom’s idea, it holds few downsides other than making people follow, like China tried to and failed.”  
Tord sighs. “Fine, I guess that is smart. Still though, it'd take a lot of time.”  
“Yeah, with benefit at the end.”  
Tord nods and taps his fingers on his desk thoughtfully. “Alright everyone, let’s go ahead and hold a meeting with the army, and tell them what we're going to do. Not all of it, but the basics.”  
Paul, Patryck, and Tom salute, and Tord points at Tom. “You stay here. Just generally assume, unless specified otherwise, that you stay at my side at all times. Actually, it's time to practice for your part of the plan. After the meeting, we'll set up the ambush.” He walks out of the room as Paul and Patryck leave, and Tom follows grumpily. Tord turns around. “Alright, Tom. Show me your inner beast.”


	47. Odd Things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll add another tag later, after a thing happens because spoilers.

Tord messaged the other two telling them the meeting should start in fifteen minutes. He looks up at Tom, who looks grumpy.  
“I don't like my part of this plan. You sure you don't want to save me for later?”  
“Yes, Tom. Hurry up and be a monster.” Tom stares at him with his usual half closed digital eyes.  
“I don't want to.”  
“Wow you choose NOW to bring up your rebellious stage?”  
“Shut up Tord. I don't want to and you wouldn't either if you had this… affliction. Hey, I used a big word! Yay me!”  
Tord sighs and facepalms. “Tom, just- it's not an affliction, and I need you to do this.”  
“No.”  
Tord glares at him, then walks forward and suddenly kisses Tom. He draws it out, and feels Tom asking to use tongue. He opens his mouth obligingly, then bites down, enough to make Tom push back in pain but not enough to actually injure him. Tom glares at him, hand over his mouth, and Tord smirks back.  
Tom drops his hand. “What the hell was that for?!”  
“Encouragement.”  
“Fffff- that HURT!” He is blushing, doing something with his tongue as though to make sure it's still functional.  
“Maybe I'm a sadist. So sue me.”  
“Is that an invitation to kinkshame?”  
Tord splutters. “N-no! That's not a kink! I was- just be a monster already!”  
Tom stares at him, face red and panting, then starts to morph, slower than normal.  
Tord notes this curiously, and Tom drops to his hands and feet, then grips his hair. It seemed to take more effort, as noted by the odd spasms and worn out effects.  
Tom shudders once more, then, as though being ripped out of him, goes full monster.  
No sign of Tom was left, as the monster roars at him. Tord stares in amazement.  
“Woah. I didn't know you went- wait- what are you doing?”  
The monster stays in place, seeming to struggle with something, then turns to Tord. As soon as the transformation had stopped, the digital headset and his clothes gone, the monsters eyes flashed purple then faded to black.  
Monster Tom was doing something odd, scratching at the floor and every once in a while scratching his horns on the ground.  
Tord takes a step forward, hand held out.  
The monster notices him, turns toward him, roars, and leaps. Tord yelps, surprised, and falls to the ground so he can use both legs to push the monster back when he falls on top of him.  
He quickly stands up again, and raises an eyebrow. The monster was acting odd again, as though the encounter had never happened.  
“Tom I'm confused. Are you internally struggling with whether to fight me or do what I say? That tends to happen a lot when revolutionaries come knocking at my door.”  
The monster ignores him for a moment more, then turns toward him and pads forward, sitting in front of him, head bowed.  
Tord stares in amazement. He really did have- what.  
The monster was purring and nuzzling his leg. Tord takes a step away.   
“God I didn't know I'd turn you into a pet.”  
The monster rumbles as though in agreement. Then Tord decides to experiment and whips his sword out.  
The monster stares at it, growling.  
Tord puts it away and the growling immediately stops. Tord pats his head, and the monster nuzzles his hand, then bites it. Tord jerks away and whacks it's horn. The monster shudders and moves away quickly, then suddenly flashes purple and turns back to Tom.  
“What the hell was- WHY ARE YOU STILL ACTING WEIRD?! At least you can talk to me now!”  
Tom is curled in a ball, clothes and eyepiece reappearing. He stares at Tord, face red as though embarrassed.  
“Er… yeah I turn into full monster sometimes.”  
“Okay that still doesn't explain the- you know what, we can talk about it later. It's time to address the army. You'll stand on stage with me.”  
Tom nods, still red but less embarrassed now. He stands up, following Tord out. They speed walk quickly to the stage, Tom staying quiet behind Tord.  
“Hello, once again! I have a quick few announcements to make.”  
Tord addresses the gathered crowd, Tom standing to his right.  
Still red, as though he'd been running, and fidgety.  
“First off, Tom will be my new assistant. You will treat him with as much respect as you treat me.  
Second, I have a meeting with the leaders of the world. I have immediate instructions for afterwards, so everyone be on your toes and ready for an assignment.  
Third, you will soon be passed vials. You are expected to take these, and drink what's inside. I swear it is not a poison or something negative. I will explain, again, after I speak with the world leaders.   
Soon to become singular.  
I expect you to be back here at 20:00 today. Understand?”  
“Sir yes sir…?”  
“Break.”  
Tord walks off stage, chastising himself in his head about how he could've worded it better, then glances over at Tom, who acts antsy.  
“Okay, what's wrong? Is it because I bit you?”  
“Yes and no, don't worry about it I'll be fine.”  
Tord narrows his eyes. “And if I order you to tell me?”  
“I would rather you not.” Tom looks rather worried but looks away quickly. “It's not a big deal.”  
Something about his nervousness makes Tord sigh. “Fine. I'll leave it alone. If you aren't better by tomorrow then I'll question you again. Just try not to act weird at the meeting.”  
Tom nods, then asks to be excused for a little while. Tord sighs again and nods, watching him walk off.   
He wonders.


	48. Entering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anything about politics or the white house, so again I just want to remind you that this is all made up. Enjoy!

Tord raises his head about an hour later when Tom comes back, looking better.  
“Were you sick?”  
“That… is one way to put it.”  
“Why can't you tell me?”  
“Because you don't want to know.”  
Tord sighs and puts his head down.  
“What time is it?” Tom asks, leaning against the desk.  
“16:00” Tord replies. “Should we set up the ambush now?”  
Tom shrugs, so Tord takes it as a yes and stands up. “Come with me.”  
He walks out of the room and requests squadron ASDF13 to join him. His strongest squad shows up a few minutes later at the entrance to his office.  
“I need you to go here, here, and a couple of you here.” Tord points at a map he made, and they nod with a “yes sir” and disappear using teleporters, leaving vacuums that quickly fill up again, making the air pressure drop just a little.  
“Tom, you're going to stand by me in the conference room and help me defend against security.”  
Tom nods, then glances at him. “Oh, uh, just a quick ti- no- important thing. Don't touch me after we go to the thing, because of the same reason I'm acting odd.”  
“So you admit you're acting odd.”  
Tom rolls his digitized eyes. “I never denied it.”  
“Whatever. You ready for the show to go down? In about half an hour we should arrive- aaaaaa I'm so impatient!!!” He goes in and sits on the floor in front of his desk grumpily. Tom stands next to him, and Tord looks up.  
“If I can't make you tell me what's wrong, then I suppose I'll just have to find out myself. Later though, right now I want food. Lots of food. I ate pizza yesterday but other wise I haven't eaten much.”   
Tom nods and uses his phone to order pizza, and leaves to pick it up, silent.  
Tord watches him go, starting to be worried.  
When Tom gets back, he's holding a couple pizza boxes, and sets them on Tords desk. Tord pats the floor next to him and Tom sits almost stiffly, faced away. Tord eats in silence then sighs.  
“Tom, tell me something. You're not talking, you're acting all formal. Is this thing going to cause you to be different? And how long will it last?”  
Tom sighs. “How about this. I'll tell you what it is after we go through with your plan, and we have a quiet time to ourselves. Until then know that yes I will act different, no it won't last long, a few days at most. And you're not allowed to tell anyone or, as you threaten so often, u will kill you. Is it time to go?”  
“In a couple minutes. Is there any way I can help?” Tom blushes worse than he already is and looks away.   
“... yes but I'll tell you that part later.”  
Tord sighs and stands up. “Come on, time to put the plan into action. But first, let’s tour the White House.”  
They teleport onto the lawn of the white house. Flowers surround a fountain, and behind it stood a huge white building, true to its name, with a flag poking out the top.  
Tord snorts. “Like a single hair on a bald head.”  
Security rushes toward them, seeming confused as to how they got in, and Tord shoots them without even looking. “I approve of the lawn though. Should be bigger, but it’s good enough.” He goes inside, Tom following, and walk into a lobby, a secretary at the desk and two security guys on either side. They step forward, holding up metal detectors. “We’re going to have to ask that you take any metal objects off you before you sign in.” They stare unabashed at Tom’s digitized eyes, and he sighs. “It doesn’t come off.” Tord steps forward. “And I suggest you don’t even try. This doesn’t come off either.” He shows his arm to them, and the security guys nod. “Okay, then I’m sorry you can’t come in.” Says the one on the left, but the one on the right nudges him and points at Tord. They whisper for a minute.  
Tord sighs and turns around. “Well, I suppose we will have to go. Guess the world leaders will just have to stand in the dark about my plans. Come on, To-”  
“You can go in. Sorry, we didn’t know you were the jerk that murdered most of Britain’s police force.” They glare at him and stand aside, and he narrows his eyes. As he walks out of the lobby, he aims his poison dart finger back at them, not turning around when two thuds make the floor vibrate.  
Tom sighs. “Did you really have to kill them?”  
“They were pissing me off.” Tom rolls his eyes and they turn right into a huge conference room, already knowing where they were going because of the blueprints they had studied thoroughly. Already most of the tense presidents, kings, queens, and prime ministers sit in their chairs, whispering tensely to each other. As soon as Tord walks in, however, the whispering stops. Everyone stares at him, and he takes a bow. “Hello, fellow leaders. I believe the meeting isn’t supposed to start for another, oh, fifteen minutes? So please, feel free to treat me as a guest until then.”  
They look at each other, then the American president stands up and walks toward him, tensely smiling, and holds out a hand to shake. Tord grips it with his robotic hand, which startles the president and makes him take a step back. Tord chuckles. “Please, I’m not going to kill you.” Yet.   
So they all stand up and slowly walk toward him, as though he’s a rabid tiger. Tord narrows his eyes. “Tom, do me a favor, and notify Paul and Patryck to come here.”  
Tom nods and walks a little ways away, using his phone to contact them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeeeeeeeee again.


	49. Heated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think of this pun till I was about to post. But in this chapter. Things get REAL HOT

When they walk in Tord is grinning and shaking everyone’s hands, seemingly not in a murderous mood. However, notifying them to come in was the first step of the plan. The soldiers surrounded the white house, ready to charge in. The security guards that surrounded the white house were already wiped out, their corpses hidden. They were ordered to shoot any stragglers leaving, but not going in, unless they looked like a threat. The more hostages, the better. Tord smirks, imagining the looks of horror.  
It was time to start the meeting.   
They all sat at their seats, and Tord sat in the spot of honor at the end of the table. “Shall we introduce ourselves?”  
They glance around, then nod in approval.   
“I am American president Clyde Norman.”  
“I’m the Russian president Vladimir Putin.”  
“I am China president Xi Jinping”  
And so on. Eventually it comes to Tord, and he grins. “I am the world communist dictator Red Leader.” There’s lots of murmuring at this, and he rolls his eyes, still with his confident grin. “At least, that’s what everyone will be calling me soon. Especially after this meeting.”  
There’s more conversation, then someone speaks up. “Are you saying you expect us to hand you our leadership?”  
Tord, under the table, messages the entire army with his forearm screen, and the 500,000 soldiers start teleporting to the biggest cities all over the world, commencing takeover.  
Tord looks around the room. “Where’s Edd?”  
As though the words had summoned him, Edd walked in, looking scared but also angry. “You can’t take over the world Tord. Nobody will be okay with this.” He sits at his spot at the table, and Tord sighs. “Edd, long time no see, old friend!”  
“I thought we were friends. Then you tortured me, and I had to break out of your stupid prison. You stole country that wasn’t yours, and you killed thousands of innocent people. All for your visions of glory.”  
Tord smirks and stands up. “It’s too bad you can’t keep up your bravado much longer. Paul, Pat, commence.” The doors shut as though on their own, and Paul and Patryck order everyone to stand against the wall. Fear shows on everyone’s faces, and they all get up and stand with their backs to the wall. Except Edd. Tord walks forward to grab his hoodie, and his hand goes right through. His eyes widen and Edd smiles, a little painfully. “Thanks for the hologram node, Tord.”  
Tords face twists with anger as Edd disappears.  
“Sneaky rat.” He shakes his head. “That just means you all have no one to protect you.”  
The Russian president was calling for security on his watch, and Tord laughs. “Your security is dead. I’m not stupid enough to come in here and take over without getting rid of opposition first.”  
He raises his eyebrows as the American president steps forward. Paul aims his gun at him, but Tord waves him down. “Keep your eyes on the others. I can take care of this one.” The president looks angry, and launches at Tord with his hands fisted and raised, as though to attack him. Tord nimbly stands aside and grabs his wrist, pinning him to the floor with his foot and the president’s arm twisted behind his back. Tord looks up at the rest.  
“This is what happens to anyone who defies me.” He breaks the arm, then jerks it, dislocating it. The president screams. Tord steps off him and grins. “Anyone else?”  
There are no volunteers. Tord looks disappointed, and tells them all his orders.  
“You are my prisoners. You cannot be ransomed, and you will have no power. Anyone who tries to defy me will be killed. Understand?”  
They all nod, and one guy drops to the ground, hugging himself and shaking pathetically. Tord ignores him and walks out of the room, everyone following. The guy on the ground is jerked to his feet, and pushed forward with everyone else.  
They march out of the White House, and the soldiers that helped with the invasion took one prisoner each and teleported to the prison.  
Tom looks surprised. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”  
“Yeah. Suppose you didn’t have to change after all.”  
Tom mutters under his breath. “Now you can use me later, and it’ll be a surprise.”  
Tord ignores him and checks his screen to see how the war with the world was doing. Chaos reigned over the streets as those not smart enough to hide in their homes were massacred. All of Europe had already been taken over, as well as America and China. Russia was putting up a bit of a fight.  
Then Tord gets a notification, and curses. “Come on.” He grabs Tom’s hand, ignoring that he immediately tries to pull away, and teleports back to the Red base.  
The Green revolt, ten times bigger than before, had launched an attack, invading while all the soldiers were gone. “Ahhhh dritt.” Tord slips into Norwegian and charges into the garage. The door was blown off.  
Some of the Green Revolt had split off and attempted to hijack the tanks, planes, helicopters, anything they could, and Tord sighs in relief that they didn’t override the security system keeping them rooted. He opens a cabinet that blended with the wall and sets up a machine gun, firing at the people that quickly disappear. He tackles the control panel and soon the tanks drive out, helicopters take off, and begin to fire at the revolt still outside. He runs in the base himself and realizes.  
They’re losing.  
“Faen!” He shouts, then runs to the entrance of the building and opens a panel in the wall with his handprint. He hesitates before pressing the big red button, then grabs Tom’s arm and drags him underground as the alarms go off. Heavy metal doors slam down at every entrance, metal walls unseen reinforcing the walls already there. The underground hideout quickly fills with panicked people who know what the alarm means, and after two minutes another metal door slams shut, cutting a straggler in half. Some people wince, and they kill the five Green revolt smart enough to follow them in there.  
The base fills with screams as fire courses down the hallway, burning anyone left in the compound alive, but the ones underground remain unaffected. After five minutes, the fire stops and there’s a few clicks, then the cooldown and cleanup procedure.  
Finally the door opens, and they come out into sparkling clean hallways, all evidence of the Green revolt gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a heated situation


	50. Heated in a Different Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahaha puns. Also last chapter today.

“My God Tord.” Tom looks amazed, trying to brush off a couple splatters of blood on his arm away. “That is pure evil. And genius.” Everyone stays near Tord, following him as he walks out, seeing the Green Revolt still running away, a couple missing limbs that got cut by the doors. Some of them were burned, as the outside wasn’t as protected from the heat as the underground was. Tord watches them leave, and debates bombing the cars as they run.  
“Okay, Tom, come with me. Everyone else, defend the base.” They spread out to cover the doors and Tord jogs to the garage, starting up a bomber plane, already loaded.  
Tom gets in the passenger seat and they take off.  
“Oh hey look. They helpfully labeled their cars.” He zooms over one group of cars and drops a bomb, grinning at the explosion as cars fly and people do unintended flips. He does that to every group of cars he sees leaving, then turns on his tracker. Nobody knew, but as soon as a vehicle entered the compound they were tagged and trackable. He goes after the only procession he didn’t see before, and drops his last two bombs on them.  
“Hahahaha! That’ll show them how not to mess with me.”  
“Hey Tord.” Tord looks over at Tom, who looks nervous. “Do you think Edd was in there?”  
Tord has no idea. He doesn’t answer, just flies the plane back, setting it to “auto-refill”.  
“I’ll check the bodies.” Later. He walks inside and goes to the prison. The only place the fire doesn’t burn, other than Tord’s room and the underground hideout.  
A couple stragglers, skin red and steaming, huddle on the ground either passed out or about to. Ten or so Green Revolt members, and two soldiers. Tord tells Tom to grab the soldiers and take them out, then holds up his pistol to one of the almost passed out Green Revolt members.  
“Wait… please…” The member whispers, looking away from the gun. “We wanted to find you. S…” He closes his eyes, then opens them again, a really slow blink. “Supposed to. Warn…”  
“Hurry up and say whatever you’re going to say, I don’t have all day.”  
“Warn you. Edd... will take back contr-” He coughs. “Control, and give it back to the people. He has a plan, last chance, Tord…” The guys passes out, and Tord’s eyes widen. He knows his name.  
Bullets practically fill every body as he walks out, and the prison starts to clean the bodies.  
“Come on Tom.” Tom looks back and sighs, helping him take the two soldiers to the medbay.  
“Okay.” Tord says, back in his office. His army was inflating once again, much faster this time. Surpassing a million. Tord grins at that and swipes the screen on his arm away.  
“So Edd has some sort of ‘plan’ to get rid of my control. It would be nice to know what it is. I think I know just how to do that.”  
“How?”  
“Tracker device. Contagious tracker device. What he doesn’t know is that we’re concocting a disease to fight back. We have to keep that classified. I know our army has already been told, which makes me want to slap past me, but-”  
He stops, then laughs. “Ha. What if I could? Maybe not specifically slap myself but go back in time. Fix the fact that I told the army about the disease.”  
“What about repercussions?” Tom inquires. Tord turns toward him, about to answer, then notices that Tom looks like he’s about to pass out, face pale.  
“Tom? Are you okay?”  
Tom nods and shows a pain filled smile. Tord sees what’s about to happen and vaults over his desk, catching Tom right before he hits the ground, lowering gently and laying him on the ground. Tom stays passed out for a second or two, then comes to quickly, sitting up on one hand.  
“God, sorry, I-” he jumps when Tord puts a hand on his shoulder, and quickly moves away. “No nono stop.” he clutches his head. “Ahhh.”  
“Okay last chance to tell me what’s wrong before I try to find out myself.”  
Tom winces. “I think it’s a monster thing.” He sighs, scooting back to lean against the wall. “I… you’re not allowed to judge me.”  
Tord nods, curiosity overriding his small amount of humor. He sits next to Tom, who winces again. “Ahhhh this is embarrassing.” He shifts nervously and looks away. “I think it’s, I dunno. An instinctual urge. To, to m-”  
He coughs, face red, and Tord smirks. “Yeah, I get the idea. So why is it making you all weird?”  
“Because it hurts. Not doing anything hurts. And I don’t want you touching me because I don’t want to lose self control.”  
Tord ponders this. “How does it start?”  
“Uhhhhhh I think it’s triggered.” Tom crosses his legs and hugs his knees. Tord considers for a moment, going over what they’re doing for the rest of the day, then stands up.  
“Stay there a moment.” He goes to his desk hologram and looks over the world domination. Russia was still putting up a fight, but a surprising amount of people joined his cause. In fact, that’s where most of his followers were joining. Confirming that they would eventually win, Tord put the room on lockdown, meaning the room cannot be opened by anyone, messaged Paul and Patryck, the only ones able to teleport in, not to. And he turns off the hologram, dimming the lights a little, then crouches in front of Tom.  
“So you said earlier, I can help you with that. Tell me, Tom. How do I help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nsfw warning next chapter


	51. Holy Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This is going to be disappointing I haven't written this kind of thing ever before.  
> IF YOU WANT TO SKIP YOU CAN.  
> \---------Extreme NSFW warning, should probably not be writing this in the school libraries computer. Lol.-----------  
> Also, short chapter.   
> I cannot believe I wrote that.  
> Wow.

Tom seems to be struggling internally, teeth clenched. “You don’t… want to.” He backs up more, pressed against the wall, and Tord smirks, enjoying seeing him uncomfortable. 

“What if I do? You never asked me.” 

Tom’s panting for breath now, the struggle practically physical. He looks away, sweating. 

“Then… AGH Tord seriously fuck you!”

He pushes against the wall to launch himself forward, tackling Tord and pinning him down with his hands on Tord’s shoulders, kissing him aggressively.

Tord makes a noise of surprise but accepts it, raising his hands to pull Tom down, but Tom grabs his wrists and pins them above his head, growling. Around his digitized eyes seems a magenta aura, and he opens his mouth and explores Tord’s mouth with his tongue. Tord jerks in surprise when the tongue is longer, and tapers to a point. The nubs of horns barely poke out of Tom’s hair, and his fingers also taper to a point as they dig into Tords wrists. He winces as Tom switches to one hand, tightly gripping his wrists, and presses his other hand against Tords chest.

His hand drags down with a rip, tearing his uniform open. Tord frowns. This was one of his best uniforms. He only had one other. 

All rational thought leaves his mind when Tom touches him. Sexual desire fills his body, and he has to look away, breaking their kissing. His self control is like a boulder held up by the tiniest of threads. Any movements would make it snap.

Tom growls and pulls Tords pants down, then says in a voice hardly recognizable, “Take ‘em off.”

Tord embarrassedly obliges. He’s never shown himself to anyone. Not anymore than that one time he went swimming.

Tom grabs his knees and pushes them apart, then says in the same growl, “Usually I would do a lot before hand, but unfortunately for you I can’t wait. It’s like lava burn- fuck it.”

He opens his own pants and pulls out a dick large enough to make Tord almost uncomfortable, and also a little scared.

“This is gonna hurt.”

And it did. It hurt like hell was shoving itself up his ass. He tries to hold back a shriek, thinking “Why did I agree to this?!”

But then the pain dies away, just enough, and transforms into “holy hell I can’t believe I haven’t done this before.”

Tom shoves in and ignores Tord’s scream, pulling out and shoving in again. He’s done this kind of thing before, unlike Tord, who obviously had not. At least, not on the bottom end. 

It was only fair if Tom helped him along as well. He grips Tord’s erection and jacks him off and Tord starts thrusting into it. Tord feels some sort of pressure gathering in his lower abdomen, but he’s too busy trying and failing to refrain from groaning or some other sort of embarrassing noise to warn Tom. Turns out he doesn’t need to. Hot cum fills him up and spills onto the floor, and Tord arches his back as the feeling launches him to do so himself, pleasure shooting through his body.

He lays in a daze as he feels Tom pull out, having been lucky enough to not ruin his clothes. Eventually Tord’s mind comes back, and he makes a quick grab for his pants, then glances down at himself. “Damn it Tom.” he mutters, using the pants to clean himself off and grabbing his other uniform from the drawer, changing into it. Tom just stands aside, smirking all the while. Tord presses a button on the wall, as usual, and it cleans the mess on the ground. Tord can’t quite meet Tom’s eyes, and he winces as he sits in his chair. He was going to be sore for a while.

Tom walks toward Tord, who is still resolutely looking away, and turns his face toward him, whispering. “I think I rather like seeing you like that. From now on, I claim top.”

Tord blushes and looks down, not about to admit that… he likes Tom doing that. Being top.

He nods acceptingly and his head jerks up as someone knocks on the door. He looks in the camera, and Paul stands outside. 

“Tord?” Said the intercom. “We have a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would say I need Jesus, but I think it's too late for even that... X3 kill me, I want to go to hell where I rightfully belong.  
> However, I can say that you all need Jesus for reading this hahahahahahaha.


	52. Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeee still writing at school but now it's okay. Lollllll I was so nervous writing the last chapter XD

Someone knocks on the door. Tord looks in the camera, and Paul stands outside.   
“Tord?” Said the intercom. “We have a problem.”  
Should he let him in, and let him see Tord as messed up as he is right now?  
“It’s sorta a really big problem.”  
Tord sighs and takes the room off lockdown, and Paul comes in. “Russia and America are working together to fight us, and they’re the biggest world powers. Should we use our biggest weapons on them?”  
Tord thinks about it for a moment, but his brain is muddled. “Uh, which. Hold on a second.” He sits down again with a wince and tries to clear his head. Russia, America.  
“We can’t beat them with just our forces?” He asks, and Paul shakes his head. “No, they both have the strongest militaries, almost equal to ours just alone. Together, they could wipe out our forces.”  
Tord grips his hair, closing his eyes. The militaries are fighting. Uh, Russia and… America. Biggest weapons, the nukes.   
“Give me your input on what you think we should do.” He says, quietly, and Paul nods uncertainly. “I think we should bomb America’s major military points, but to do so we should probably have our armies retreat first.”  
Tord nods. Sounds reasonable. “Do that then. Tell them to do a major retreat, and bomb the military bases. The one in Abkhazia, and in Fort Bragg. And the field where they’re fighting.”  
Paul nods and leaves, then looks over his shoulder. “Uh, are you okay? You’re acting a little odd.”  
Tord glances quickly at Tom, who was watching him with barely suppressed laughter, then away, trying to hide the blush forming on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Paul’s eyes widen and he leaves before he can grin. He has to tell Patryck his new suspicions.  
Tord sighs. “God, I’m all messed up right now.”  
“Really? I’m feeling great. And a bit chilly, probably because the heat is gone.”  
Tord glares at him. “I… I’m not…” He sighs. “See, this is exactly what I mean. I can't talk right. I can’t make complete sentences.”  
“You just did.”  
“Shut up, Tom.”  
Tord turns on his hologram desk, and flicks through newscasts till he can see the Russian and American armies fighting.  
There’s tons of confusion as all of the Red Army forces retreat, then they start to celebrate their win.  
Tord gains his evil grin. Poor poor innocent gullibles. They won’t know what hit them. His nuclear bombs are untraceable, so they wouldn’t see it until it was right over their heads. The notification comes to him that the missile has been launched, three of them total, and it’ll only be about fifteen minutes before it lands on the militaries heads.   
He suddenly laughs when he realizes something.  
“What?” Tom asks curiously.  
“I just realized I was…” He snickers. “Nevermind.”  
Tom pouts. “Come on, Tord, tell me.”  
“I was just fucked by the guy who caused my downfall. Well, semi-downfall.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “I swear you’re so immature sometimes.”  
Tord sticks his tongue out at Tom, proving his point, then argues, “I’ve taken over the world in less than three days, I’ve made more defensive and offensive robotic inventions than you can count, I have the biggest army in the world, and have killed hundreds of people myself, and I overthrew the leaders of the entire world in less than half an hour, and you’re calling me immature?” Tom rolls his eyes.   
“Alright, crybaby.” Tord seethes at him but doesn’t answer. Tom walks forward and pokes a part of the hologram, opening a music album. He raises his eyebrows when Tord silently closes it, blushing slightly.  
“You listen to music?”  
Tord doesn’t answer, pulling up the news again and flipping through it.  
“What do you listen to?”  
“Nothing.”  
“You’re embarrassed about it?”  
Tord doesn’t answer again and chooses a cast, watching it. “Or is it because of what kind of music you listen to? Opera? That would go well with your ‘killing everybody’ thing.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “No.”  
“Love songs?”  
“Not really.”  
“Fine I’ll just see myself…. How the hell do I navigate this thing? The tab thingy isn’t there anymore.” Tord smirks. Yeah, because he’d closed it out.  
“Tell meeeee.”  
“Doesn’t matter.”   
Tom glares and crosses his arms. “Then why are you so embarrassed?”  
“No reason.”  
Tom rolls his eyes and leans against the desk. “Is it jazz?” “No.”   
“Tell me.”  
Tord sighs. “Nightcore.”   
“What’s that?”  
“Look it up. But first, watch.” Tom comes around to Tord’s side, looking over his shoulder. “Why- oh my god.”  
The bombs land, one at a time, completely unanticipated. “I’d go watch but I don’t want my ears blasted off.”  
Tom covered his mouth, shocked. “You are seriously insane.”  
“I know.” Tord laughs, his evil laugh.   
“You mind if I play your music?” Tord blushes and looks down. “I don’t care.”  
Tom scrolls through his album, and plays “Control” by Halsey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love that song. Listen to it on soundcloud. It's the second one if you look up "Control halsey"


	53. Laws (to be continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I think I'm going to get writers block I get an idea that will last maybe a chapter or two.  
> I was stuck this morning though, for about 10 minutes. Maybe because I was watching my sister watch Steven Universe.

Tord glances at him. “Surprised you picked that one.” Tom shrugs, listening. He’s always quiet when music plays.  
“There we go, the America and Russia problem is solved.” Says Tord, watching the devastation afterward. Fort Bragg was apparently in the middle of a drought, and the fire spread throughout an entire city. Buildings burned, and it continued to spread with no sign of stopping.  
Tord laughs. “That’s what they get. Hey, What should I name my country?”  
Tom looks up. “Uh… I don’t know, you’ve thought about that more than I have.”  
Tord glances at him. “I’ve been wondering… what do you think of me?”  
Tom looks away. “You’re one of those people I love to challenge because you’re high and mighty. And in challenging you, I fall- I… like you. I also like that I’m the only one that can bring you down to earth.”  
Tord smirks. “And how do you figure that?”  
“Well, I can do things to you that you wouldn’t let most people do. Need an example?”  
Tord shakes his head quickly. “No, I’m good.” He turns off the newscast, then calls Patryck in, quickly turning the music off.  
Paul and Patryck enter together, and Paul swiftly walks over to Tom, whispering in his ear, “So tell me, who’s the top?”  
Tom looks away, muttering under his breath, “Me.”  
Paul stares at him in surprise, then pulls a huge roll of cash out of his pocket, walking over to Patryck and staring at him for a moment before handing it to him. Patryck raises his eyebrows, and Paul whispers in his ear.  
Tord rolls his eyes. “What are you betting on this time?”  
Tom shushes him. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at Tom, but doesn’t ask again. Patryck looks amazed and is grinning, and he stuffs the money in his pocket.  
“Alright, I called you here to tell you that the America and Russia problem is solved. The destruction our bomb has caused will make them refrain from bothering us again.”  
They nod.  
“Now we need to take care of the Green Revolt. I don’t think we can bomb them though. From what I know, they’re so spread out that I would have to bomb the entire world to get even most of them. So what I need is a way to draw them out. Preferably to one area.”  
He holds up a hand, stopping the suggestions before they come.  
“Another thing we need to do is find out what Edd’s big plan is. I don’t know what he thinks he can do that can take the power from me, and I hate to admit that he is pretty smart. Not just smart, but lucky. We need to take precautions.”  
He grins. “Last thing. I need to come up with a set of laws for my world dominion. I will take suggestions, but I don’t think I’ll change what I already have. I also can’t have laws that contradict. Either write down your suggestions or send them to me.”  
Tom raises an eyebrow. “I have an idea. Can I just say it?”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “That’s exactly what I don’t want you to do but sure, what’s your idea?”  
“Making gay marriage legal everywhere.” Paul and Patryck look startled but nod in agreement.  
Tord stares at him. “I… didn’t even think of that.”  
“Shows how much more thoughtful I am. Also, require at least one ‘happy hour’ a day in every workplace.”  
Tord sighs. “No, that’s stupid. Here, here’s the list of the rules I was going to put into play.”  
Tom takes the list and skims it over. “Seriously?”

Code Red:  
Everyone must be employed.  
Your leader and his army will be addressed with respect. If found slandering your dictator, you will be thrown in prison for a sentence decided based on the violation.  
Any resistance will be purged.  
Only Red Leader is allowed to make laws.  
Red Leaders word is law.  
And stuff I’ll think of later.

“Ignore the last one, it’s a placeholder.” Tord crosses his arms as Paul and Patryck read it, and hand it back to him.  
“Are you going to have laws about crime and whatnot?”  
Tord nods, setting it down. “It’s not a complete list. I’ll think of that later. Now, because we have laws, we have to have a court. I need you two” he gestures at Paul and Patryck, “To find people to hire. Now, please. We’ll continue the conversation about Edd later.”  
They salute and march out.  
Tom looks at Tord. “Edd has broken probably every law you will write. What will you do with him if you see him?”  
Tord winces and looks away. Tom narrows his eyes. “What? Life in prison? Forced to be your personal servant?”  
“If I see Edd again, and if I have the chance, I will have to… kill him, Tom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the best chapter I've written, kinda disappointed. But it'll get better, probably. And I'm posting my original story (chapter 1) soon.


	54. Argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lost my temporary writers block when I realized what I was missing. Feels. There were not enough feels. So many ideas came to mind, so I chose a few and wow you all are going to hate me. I'm going to love it.  
> No major character death though, I can't stand that.

Tom stares at him for a minute. “That’s a joke right?”  
“No, Tom.” Tord sighs, going back behind his desk to sit down. “He’s too intelligent, he’s a danger to our army. If I-”  
“Shut the fuck up Tord and listen to me for a second.” Tom steps forward and slaps the desk, making Tord look up quickly. “Edd is my friend. Was, maybe, because we can’t exactly be friends on the opposite side of the field. I chose you over him yes, but I can’t allow you to kill the person who let me live in his house and gave me so many memories. I lived with him for YEARS, Tord. Don’t kill him. Imprison him!”  
“I can’t imprison him, Tom! I already did that once before and he escaped, taking half my army with him! Look, I get it, I lived with him too you know-”  
“Like you give a damn about anyones sentiments. You could easily kill your own parents if they were an inconvenience to you.” Tord winces. Sore subject.   
“But I’m not heartless like you. I don’t want Edd dead. I don’t care if he’s resisting you, I don’t care if he hates you and wants your power taken away. I don’t even care if you kill other people, or half the world. But don’t kill Edd. There’s still the chance we could change him.”  
Tord looks down, away from Tom.  
He whispers, “You’re not going to join him, are you?”  
Tom’s angry stare softens, and he shakes his head. “No. I can’t do that. I’m on your side. But you can’t just kill anyone. Most definitely not Edd.”  
Tord seethes, and glares at Tom. “I DON’T HAVE A CHOICE!” He shouts. “I have to think of what’s best for my army, not your pathetic emotions! You are letting your feelings get in the way of your judgement! Edd HAS to die! I tried changing him, he didn’t listen. He lost his chance, he has to die. Understand, soldier?!”  
Tom glares at him, hatred in his gaze. He growls, “Yes, Red Leader.” and walks out of the room, horns starting to sprout from his head.  
Tord stares after him for a minute, then sits down, his anger slowly starting to change to guilt. He could have handled it better. Maybe. He probably shouldn’t have shouted, or used his authority against Tom. But he just didn’t understand the threat Edd posed. Edd, unlike most others, knew almost everything about Tord. His eye, his affection for guns, where he stored his hentai, even his name. The only thing he didn’t know was that Tord was dating Tom. Tord winces, thinking about his argument.  
May still be dating Tom. Whatever Tom thought, Tord’s affections haven’t left him. If anything, his need to have Tom there with him was increasing.  
He sighs and pulls up his music, picking a random one and ending up with “Partners in Crime.”  
Didn’t really relate to the mood, but whatever.   
He sends a message to the labs, asking how the cures were going.   
Over 1720000. Nice.  
He calls Paul and Patryck into his office.  
“Hello sir. Where’s To-”  
“Don’t. Don’t ask.” Paul shuts up, waiting.   
“Status update. We have enough cures for most of our army, and we can start the disease in the UK without too many consequences. However, I think I should keep this to use as backup in case Edd’s army becomes too much to handle. Now, give me a status update on my army, and the word in the streets.”  
They glance at each other. “There’s lots of rumors, not too important. Some people are preparing to lockdown the city because they think you’re out to get them. Your army is greatly increasing, mostly out of fear, slightly out of awe and impression. Uh, you sorta have a paparazzi now, and some fans.”  
Paul snickers and looks away, and Tord rolls his eyes. He doesn’t care really.   
“Have you found anyone for the court?”  
“Yes sir, we have a few candidates waiting in sector 8U. Would you like to interview them?”  
“I will, later. Find more to interview. I’m going to check somewhere to see if Tom’s there, I’ll let you know if I need your help looking.”  
“Yes sir” They salute and leave again.  
Tord walks into the room next door, but though there are new scratches on the floor, Tom is nowhere to be seen. He sighs and messages Paul and Patryck, and waits with his head on his desk in his room.  
When they come in the room, he expects Tom to be angry. Instead, he’s not there at all, and Paul and Patryck look worried.  
“Where is he? Do I need to go talk to him?”  
“We… can’t find him. He’s not anywhere in the building, the security feed shows him walking out. But… his car is still there, and the cameras on that side of the building are dead.”  
Tord sits up slowly. “What do you mean?”  
“He’s not here, and Paul and I think he might be kidnapped.”


	55. Rescue Part 1

Tord stands up quickly. “Kidnapped? By who?”  
“Well, we can only guess now, but by someone who wants ransom or someone who is, uh, revolting.”  
“You mean Edd.” Tord glares at them, as though it's their fault. “What's wrong with the cameras?”  
“They're deactivated. Just, turned off.”  
Tord strides out of the room, Paul and Patrick quickly following. “Either the person that took him made a lucky guess or they knew he was important to me. I-” His phone interrupts him, and desperate for information, he answers. “This is Red Leader, how do you have my numb-”  
“Hey, Tord.”  
Tord stops, shocked.  
“It's Edd. I think one of the brave soldiers in our revolt told you that I had a plan to throw you down. Eh, I'm going to put it into play soon, and it started with us kidnapping your old friend, Tom.”  
Tords eyes widen. This was getting worse and worse.  
“I- uh, Tord? Are you there? Did you drop your phone or something?”  
“I’m here, a hole. What the hell are you going to do with Tom?”  
“Well, I have a few different ideas. He's kinda hard to handle right now, he turned into a half monster kind of thing. I wish I could help him.” Edd sighs.  
“You can help him, send him back. Send him back or I will find you and I will kill you. I'm not kidding Edd.”  
“I… oh god okay so I know you have a thirst for power, but is there any way to-” He's cut off from someone on his line, and Tord doesn’t hear him, but he does hear Edds responses. And what he hears strikes fear in him.   
“What do you mean… what's wrong with him?... oh god no what have I done. Oh no no no… I don't have much time Tord I have to go. Just, give up your power and I'll give him back, god I feel like a bad guy now.”  
Tord feels something odd inside him when Edd clicks off. Not an anger, not really. Some sort of dark determination, a black darkness that wants to swallow anyone who dared touch Tom, who dared try to force Tord to give up power by stealing the only person he really cared about. He grins darkly. Thanks to Edd, he knew exactly where to find him now.  
He tracks the phone number and jerks his chin, motioning for Paul and Patryck, who look scared by the expression on his face, to follow him. He gets in a car and drives, following the directions his arm sends directly to his brain. As soon as he arrives, he goes in the trunk and gets out a couple chips. They look harmless enough, just metal chips. But Paul and Patryck pale when they see them.  
“Are you… going to use that on him?”  
Tord doesn't answer, just puts them in his pocket and walks in the trapdoor. It was almost impossible to catch, unless you knew where it was, and it led into a base very much like his own. And it crawled with the Green Revolt.  
They didn't all see him at once. It was more of a really slow realization, and they stare at him. “Should we… attack?” Says one voice in the crowd. Some people walk away, and about ten revolutionaries run toward him, holding up knives and guns. Tord easily kills them all with his poison darts, then grabs one by her shirt, lifting her up.  
She struggled to get out of his grip until he holds a gun to her temple. She pales and stills, and Tord smirks. “That's what I thought. Now tell me. Where is Tom?”  
She looks terrifyingly confused. “Who's… Tom?”  
Tord growls and throws her against the wall, hearing a smash as her head hits the wall and she slumps against the wall, dead instantly.  
He stalks past the crowd, who parts for him, looking at him in terrified reverence. Edd didn't keep his army up to date. One of his stupidest mistakes. Tord pulls out a gun and starts firing into the crowd randomly, and quickly everyone starts screaming and running out of his way. He steps over a few bodies and finds the center of the compound, where a shaking messenger approached him warily.  
“I… I heard you're looking for Tom. We were going to hold him hostage, but we didn't know he was a, uh, monst-”  
“Get to the point.” Tord says simply, holding up his gun at the poor messengers forehead. The messenger jumps, then stutters out, “He’s attacking the guards, and so we’re having trouble getting him under control they’re on the other side of the base in room g102 please don’t kill me.”  
Tord shoots him in the leg anyway and runs off, scanning the halls quickly for that room.   
He didn’t even have to. The commotion was loud enough.


	56. Rescue Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is shorter sorryyyyys

He stops when he sees Tom. He’s mostly transformed into a full monster but not completely, and attacks his guards ferociously, ropes wrapped haphazardly all over him, as though they’d tried to tie him up but failed.  
But as Tord watches, they manage to push him back into the room, and dart out quickly to close the door.  
Tord starts shooting them, starting with the one who had been ready to close the door, until they all lay on the ground. Tom bursts back out, sees Tord, and stops, shrinking back from his monstrous side a little. There’s a moment of silence, then he roars, leaps forward, and backhands Tord into the wall, leaving a Tord-shaped crater. Tord winces, but he can’t actually be hurt, not with his armor on. His sword slides out. He specifically designed Tom’s armor, so that it would practically disappear when he went in his monster form. So Tord could still hurt him. It reappeared after he changed back though.  
Tord pushes forward off the wall and stabs Tom between the shoulder blades, but is quickly thrown into the ground, leaving another crater. Out of the corner of his eye he sees green, but doesn’t think about it at the moment.  
He slices Tom across the face and jumps back before he can attack again, then grabs his horns and slams his head into the ground. The monster whimpers and takes a step back, then looks up at Tord. The anger has dissolved, and Tom was slowly changing back.  
“Tom I need you to stay awake. Can you do that? Tom. Tom stop closing your eyes.”  
Tom falls to his knees, then to all fours, about to pass out. “Tom please we have to run.”  
“Ah dang it, I suck at kidnapping.” Edd quickly jumps back when Tord’s head whips around to face him. “Ahh- I’ll let you guys out don’t-” He’s cut off by a choke when Tord grabs him by the neck and slams him against the wall.  
“How dare you. How dare you kidnap my b- my assistant, just to relinquish my control. He was arguing with me, trying to keep YOU alive. And yet why should he, when you’ll do anything?”  
Edd tries to say something, but Tord tightens his grip, and Edd’s face goes purple.  
“You don’t have the right to talk.” Edd mouths something, and Tord narrows his eyes, loosening his hand just enough to let him speak.  
“It wasn’t me. I just guide the army, it was them that kidnapped Tom.”  
“You don’t have control of your own army?”  
“They’re not my army, they’re a gathering of brave people who hate your reign.”  
Tord is tired of hearing him speak. He slams Edd against the ground, then takes the chips out of his pocket. Paul rushes forward.   
“Sir I think he’s telling the truth-”  
“Doesn’t matter. It’s his fault, anyway.” Tord attaches one to Edd’s head, and one to his chest, then presses down on both of them, activating it.  
And Edd starts screaming, horrible screams of pain. Tord turns away. Despite his anger, he couldn’t watch an old friend in pain like that. He slings Tom over his shoulder and begins to make his way out of the compound, shooting anyone in the way.  
He hears someone behind him and turns around, hearing a bang. ‘Idiot’ he thinks, ‘I have my ar-’  
The bullet tears through his side, making him fall to knee, in pain. The shock is more overwhelming than the pain though, and he lifts up his gun and shoots the shaking soldier dead, before falling to the ground.  
He distantly hears Paul and Patryck calling his name, but it’s muffled. He mumbles something, “get the gun,” before feeling one of them pick him up. He screams.  
That was no ordinary bullet, it should not hurt this much.   
And he passes out.


	57. Fight and Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am exempt from most of my finals yayyyyy

He wakes up to beeping. The beeping of a heart monitor.  
He sits up quickly, then puts a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming as pain shoots through his side. Holy hell that hurt. That hurt a lot.  
A doctor came in, and Tord glared when he saw the Green Revolt insignia. Why were they still here? What happened after he passed out?  
He needed to get back to his base. Without him, his army would fall apart.  
“Hello there, uh, sir.” Even on the other side the doctor knew to treat him with respect. “I wasn’t able to treat your wound, some invisible layer prevented me from touching you. All I could do was bandage it, and drip some medicine into it.”  
Tord glares at him and opens his jacket, rips off his bandage, and stares in horror. A hole, about a centimeter wide, ran all the way through his body, to the other side.  
He looks up at the doctor. “What the hell is this-” he winces. Talking hurt.  
“Um, it was caused by a phase bullet, made of a concentration of light. It can pass through anything without hurting it, as long as it doesn’t block the light. And it tears through anything else, like a normal bullet, except it also burns it. It instantly cauterized your wound, keeping you from bleeding out.”  
Tord glares at him. “I don’t give a shit. Why am I still here? Where is Paul and Patryck? And why are you trying to help me, you’re on the wrong side to do that. Loyalty wise, you should’ve let me die.”  
“See, I traded sides. Yes, you’re still in the Green Revolt base. They don’t know where you are. Your buddies got caught in a trap and tossed you out, where I was lucky to find you before Fred killed you. Uhh, I think Edd is going to keep them captive and wait for you to come back.”  
“Where are they trapped?”  
“It… It’s a titanium sphere, it closes on anyone that goes in that sector and keeps them there until someone releases them from the outside. I would have done it, but you’re in critical condition and I can’t figure out how to treat you.”   
Tord lays back down, unable to stay sitting up.“Go release them, I’ll be fine.”   
The doctor hesitates.   
“Actually… the wound is corroding your insides. It shot right through your stomach, so the acids are eating away at your unprotected flesh. I cleaned as much as I could, but I need to reach it to take care of it.”  
Tord glares at him, then takes off the upper half of his uniform and carefully peels away the armor. It came off, but only a certain way, and only the wearer would know how, and the one who made it (Tord). He tosses it on the bed next to him, about to pass out from the pain again.  
“Fine. Fix it. Hurry though, we can’t let Edd get to them.”  
“Edd is incapacitated right now. Actually, the situation is worse than you think. Edd may not consider himself a leader, but everyone else does, and they consider him the head of the good side. So if he is out…” The doctor numbs the area with a cloth then begins to clean the wound. “Then they’re allowed to do anything. So yes, I do need to hurry. While Edd might keep them captured so your army falls apart, this revolt will just tear them to pieces, not caring about the consequences.”  
Tord stared at him, and all he could think of was Tom. Tom being killed, Tom being shot. He knew the armor would save him, unless these bullets were available to everyone.  
“Hell no. Hurry the fuck up, I need to go rescue them.”  
“It’s a good thing I’m one of the best doctors in the world.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“I work well with chemicals, and I found a solution that heals a wound in less than a day. It’ll burn, badly. The numbing solution can’t keep it from burning. But it withstands running, and if you push past the pain and keep a clear head you can go rescue your friends.”  
“Then fucking use it already and stop talking about it!”  
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He takes out a vial and takes some of it out with a dropper, then drips it onto Tord’s wound.  
“Aw hell.” The wound starts sizzling and bubbling, and Tord screams.  
“It’ll last about fifteen minutes, then it’ll die down the tiniest bit and get better as the day goes on.” The doctor practically has to shout over Tord’s screams, and Tord covers his mouth, trying to calm down.  
He couldn’t. It hurt too much. He’d rather die than feel this. He wished he woul-  
Tom. He had to save Tom. He sits up and almost screams again, but manages to get his armor on and his undershirt, leaving the rest for now. He groans as the doctor wraps the wound, hiding it from the elements, and helps him up. “You’ll have to go yourself, they can’t know I helped you. Run, I’ll anonymously send your uniform back. Go to the west side of the building, you’ll see the room.” Tord staggers to the doorframe, leans against it, then takes off.  
It didn’t matter whether he ran or rested, the pain was the same.  
It was burning. It was torture. But it was better than Tom dying.  
He finds the crowds, and pulls out his gun. Clear head. Aim. Shoot. Pain. Shoot again.  
Soon the crowds have scattered or died, and he takes off running again.  
He sees the room alright. A huge round ball of metal, in the middle of the hallway. The revolt had already found the ball, and was searching for the release. Tord started shooting again, and they ran at him, trying to attack him but failing, because of his armor. He shoots most of them dead, the cowards running, and finds the release. He had a knack for this sort of thing.  
He opens the ball and the crowds of people emerge again, attacking.  
Tom hugs him quickly then they fight their way through the crowd, Paul and Patryck leading.  
“Hey Tord, you okay? You look like you’re about to start screaming.”  
Tord can’t answer, because that was entirely true. They get through and dart for the exit, shoving open the trapdoor, and when Tord crawls out, he collapses on the grass curled up, shivering. He can’t stand it anymore. He got Tom, Tom is safe.   
“Give me a knife.” He whispers. “Give me a knife I need to cut the pain away-” He writhes and screams again, and Patryck holds him down. The armor doesn’t keep him from hurting himself, and he had been trying to dig his own fingers into his wound.  
“GIVE ME A KNIFE.” Tord thrashes to get out of their grip. This hurt, this hurt a lot, let him go he needs to cut it out cut it out cut it out cut it out-  
He hears Tom’s voice and stops. He sounded scared. Tom sounded scared.  
Tord was scared.  
Those were his last thoughts as, for the second time that day, he passed out.


	58. Tord's Fine. Ish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted one short chapter of the book I want to write.  
> It's called Colors of Heirarchy, and the summary is honestly better than the chapter itself.  
> Otherwise, kill me, the last couple chapters have been so out of character because I can't write. They slip back in this chapter though, I think.  
> Maybe.

Tom stayed by Tords side as they took him to the medbay. Edd’s plan was a huge failure, they should’ve known better.  
He shouldn’t’ve argued with Tord. He remembers storming out of the building, in a rage, already transformed. He had been tackled and tied with cords that dug into his chest, his arms, his wrists. He had tried to escape, but they tossed him in the back of the truck and drove off to some underground garage.  
He had to warn Tord. Their stupid kidnapping plan had been a huge failure, but Tord didn’t know what they were capable of.  
Time machines.  
Brain washing helmets.  
Cats. So many cats. And even they were trained to fight.  
Tom remembers being dragged to a room, and breaking his ropes and fighting, trying to get away. It was his fault Tord had been in pain. If he hadn’t had to be rescued, Tord would be fine.  
As soon as they set him on the bed, he wakes up. Tom winces, waiting for him to react.  
Tord groans and rolls over, on his good side. “Ahhhh it hurts to have a hole in you.”  
Tom smiles. He seemed better. “Can we see it?”  
“Maybe.” Tord carefully takes his shirt, and his bandage. They all stare in amazement. The wound was closing up, strings of flesh connecting each edge. It was slowly but visibly growing, as though trying to connect, and close up. Tord shudders and puts the bandage back. “Holy shit that’s the creepiest thing I have ever seen. I wish I hadn’t accepted his stupid healing thing. It wasn’t worth it, I thought I would’ve had to save you.” Tom glanced at Paul.  
Being captured wasn’t the worst part. It was being trapped in that room.  
It was meant to capture. It was also meant to weaken.  
The ball had been running out of air. And it started thin to begin with. They had almost passed out, gasping for air, and with no one controlling it, it would’ve run out, letting them die.  
Tord had saved their life.  
Tom looks at Tord, debating whether he should tell him, but Tord had already caught their look. “What?”  
“You did save us.” Tom sighs. “The ball was meant to weaken whoever was trapped, and so uh.”  
Paul continues, “We couldn’t breathe. It was running out of air. It would have killed us if you hadn’t opened it.”  
“The doctor didn’t tell me this.”  
Paul glances at Tom again, confused this time. “What doctor?”  
“Ah, someone found me and gave me the shit that burnt me.” Tom looks suspicious, and slightly nervous. “Uh, did you get his name?”  
Tord glances at him, then realizes he made that mistake. “No. No I didn’t”  
“How do you know he didn’t poison you? Or put something else in you, like a tracker or something?”  
Tord smirks. “I’m not stupid enough to let that happen. I have a poison detector, and I’m the only one allowed to attach or insert robotic things into my body. Anything else would be repelled.”  
They think for a moment, then Tord says “I don’t trust him.”  
“Why?”  
“Why stay in the Green Revolt base if, as he says, he switched sides? I don’t believe him. Not only that, he self-proclaimed that he’s the best doctor in the world. I don’t want to think it, but I was too delusional with pain to be careful.”  
“No shit Sherlock. You were trying to cut yourself up.”  
“Shut up Tom and let me talk. If he has my DNA, this could be bad.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “How do you figure that?”  
Tord looks at him. “Even I know how to make clones. Ahhhh this could be bad. I need to step up my technologies. I’ll be fine, don’t make me stay in the medbay. I know what I’m going to work on next.”  
“And what’s that?”  
“A few things. Better armor to withstand the phase gun. Time travel. Figure out how the hell to get Edd.” He stands up and stalks to the door, then glares at Tom. “Damnit, I don’t have another uniform to change into.” Tom looks confused for a moment, then remembers. He smirks, blushing slightly. “You’re welcome.”  
“Screw you Tom. Anyway” Tord sighs. “Paul do me a favor and go to Tom’s apartment, get my clothes, and wash them.”  
“What are your clothes doing in Tom’s apartment?” Paul asks, and darts away before Tord can impale him with his sword, laughing. “Alright alright I’ll go. Laundry duty, yay.”  
He teleports away. Tord glances at Tom. “I wanted to kill Edd. But I couldn’t. Thanks a lot.”  
“You’re welcome. You’re not going to, are you?”  
“I can’t now. It’s like you’ve implanted your face onto his. I can’t kill him. But I did scare him.” He grins. The device that he’d planted on Edd activated every nerve in the body and signaled pain to his brain. He just hoped Edd wouldn’t go insane now. They should’ve been able to come off easily, or even fallen off. So it wouldn’t last too long. But it would leave a lasting impression.  
“Ohhh no Tord what did you do?”  
“I’d show you but you’d probably literally go insane. It was just one of my devices.”  
“Which. One.”  
Tord glances at him, not really wanting Tom mad at him again. “A torture device. It only lasted maybe a second or two, it would’ve fallen off immediately.”  
Tom sighs, hands in his pockets. “Great, I tell you not to kill a friend, you torture him instead. I bet if I told you not to torture him you’d find some other way to mess him up.”  
Tord turns and pins him against the wall, startling Tom. “He kidnapped you, idiot. What did you expect me to do, walk away? Leave him there?”  
Tom looks away. “Edd didn’t kidnap me.”  
Tord glares at him. “His lunatics then.”  
Tom sighs. “They’re not his. Everybody sees him as the leader, but he doesn’t command them. They’ve strayed. They’re-”  
Tord cuts him off, kissing him. Tom looks surprised, then reciprocates for about a minute. Then he pushes Tord away slightly. “Tord, I have to tell you something about them. The Green Revolt.”  
Tord heard the first three words, but he caught something out of the corner of his eye. A soldier, a random soldier, seeing them and darting away. The hallway had been empty.  
“Faen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck I have to take the English final. My worst and least favorite class.  
> Fuck me.  
> Fuck the world.  
> Oh but I love you guys you are all amazing.


	59. Backstory?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dark past will be revealed soon. Just not yet.

Tom manages to laugh and blush at the same time, and Tord quickly backs away.  
“Well, now they know you’re gay.”  
“Shut up Tom. This is bad. Ohhhh no I have to kill him seriously this is really bad.”  
Tom frowns at him. “Why? Your reputa- aaaaand he’s gone.”  
Tord takes off down the hallway, looking everywhere, but he can’t find the soldier. Eventually he hears noise but it’s a crowd of people, in the busier parts of the building. Tord crosses his arms, thinking, then jumps when Tom comes up next to him.  
“Hello.”  
“Hi Tom.” Tord is thinking too hard to really pay attention to him, and in the middle of something Tom was saying he dashes off again. Tom rolls his eyes and follows.  
When he gets back to the office Tord is pacing frantically, muttering to himself as always.  
“Maybe I could- no… or I can do that… too complicated, last resort. Maybe…”  
“Tord.”  
“I could use the tracker… but I’d have to sort…”  
“Torrrd.”  
“Or I could just ask… and give myself away? I can’t do th-”  
“TORD!” Tord turns to Tom, still lost in thought. “What?”  
“I still have to tell you what I found at the Green Revolt.”  
Tord stares at him for a moment, then the words register. “What? Did you find something important?"  
Tom narrows his eyes sarcastically. “No I found a bag of kittens and I thought I should tell you.”  
Tord already isn’t listening.  
“Look, what’s so wrong with them knowing about… you and me?”  
Tord takes a second to answer. “Because, Tom, you’re my only weakness.”  
Tom looks confused. “Your only weakness? What does that mean?”  
Tord sighs, looking at him exasperatedly. “You’re the most important person to me. I can’t stand it when you’re gone. I almost blew up the Green Revolt base when they took you, and the only reason I didn’t is because YOU told me not to kill Edd! So, if people know that we’re…” He looks away. “I can’t have them targeting you to get at me. That’s what I mean.”  
Tom looks at him, pondering.  
“And I want you to stay by me so I can protect you,” he continues. “And I don’t want to see you hurt.”  
“Isn’t that touching.”  
“I don’t know how to handle this! I’ve never felt anything like this before! Aaaargh!” He covers his face.  
Tom thinks for a moment. “I don’t either? Except I do, because I have done it before.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at him, lifting his face above his head for a moment. “Thanks, Tom. That really helps.”  
“That’s the idea.”  
Tord rolls his eyes and sits down, resting his head on his normal hand and tapping his other fingers on the desk.  
“Alright, tell me what you found. I’m listening.”  
“Oh. Okay. So first off I was in the bed of a pickup truck, so that’s why I saw this stuff. So, uh, they’re dabbling in brainwashing and time machines. And trained cats.”  
“What?” Tom shrugs.  
“That’s worrying. What do they need all of this stuff f-”  
He stares at Tom. “Are you sure it was brainwashing?”  
“Uhh it had labels. And stuff. It said brainwashing, time travel, paradox blocker, mind reading, telepathy-”  
Tord interrupts him with some Norwegian curse. “That’s not pretty good.”  
“Don’t you mean bad? And why?”  
“Shut up I’m thinking.”  
“Well stop thinking and talk then because I’m confused.”  
Tord glares at him. “I think- I don’t know, this is my best guess at the moment- that he’s trying to steal people for his army. Did you see anyone wearing something odd on their head? Like a device of some sort?”  
“No.”  
“How about clones?”  
“No.”  
“Did they put anything on you?”  
“N- What?”  
“Like a device of some sort? Ah, that’s probably what I should’ve asked first.”  
“I think not. Unless they had your intelligence- that’s not a compliment, just a fact- then I’d worry about what might’ve been on the ropes they tied me with. Or what was in the air in that ball. Or, you know, lack thereof.”  
Tord nods, then glances at him. “Maybe you should worry. I’m still not sure about that doctor. He makes me nervous. Especially with the brainwashers and time machines.”  
Tom stares at him for a minute. “Is there a way you could… check?”  
“Maybe. Here, put this on for a minute.”  
He searches through his drawers then hands Tom what looks like a brace, with a digital display. Tom fumbles with it for long enough for Tord to sigh and help him with it.  
After a little bit, Tom glances at Tord. “I've been wondering recently. Before you even met us, what did you do? Just, wander around, burning the buildings of whoever pissed you off?”  
Tord nods absentmindedly.  
“What about parents? Still alive?”  
Tord freezes like a deer in headlights. Tom waits a second, then says, “Sorry, may have overstepped. I definitely don't want to relive what happened to mine.”  
Tord stays frozen.  
“Sorry.”  
Tord shakes his head and looks down, hand shaking a little, and he brings up the hologram, looking at security feeds he'd put up in one or two of the hallways in the Green Revolt base.  
“Genius.” Tom comments, moving closer, not pushing his “dark past” questions. “You really think of everything, it seems.”  
“Better safe than sorry. Sometimes I put a few extra things in a room, like locks on the vents in the air conditioning or something.”  
Tom nods.  
“And I don't like to talk about my ch-childhood.”  
The words seemed to be dragged out of Tords mouth, and Tom looks startled. “No, no it's fine! I don't either. I was just curious.”  
“Maybe I'll tell you. But later.” Tord looks away.  
“Okay.”  
The device beeps a few times, and the screen shows an odd display that Tord seemed to understand perfectly.  
“I… don't THINK there's anything in you. I'll give you a detector later, you can take that off.”  
“That doesn't seem like a very definitive answer.”  
“Well… a good cloaking device would trick it. It's just a matter of is there anything metal or chemical in there other than what I put.”  
“I don't think we should worry too much. They probably wouldn't have thought ahead that much, or been able to execute it as well as you did.”  
“Yeah…” Tord halfheartedly agrees. “I'm going to call Paul and Patryck here to do checks on them too.”  
Turns out he doesn't need to call them there.  
Paul comes in holding clothes.  
And looking scared for his life.  
“Sir I need your help please. Please.”  
He leans against the door, adrenaline too much.  
Tord stands up quickly. “What's wrong Paul?”  
Paul opens his mouth, closes it, then says “It’s Patryck. Please, please help me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do.  
> *evil grin*


	60. Patryck Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank god that I don't write this on here like I did before. The chapter didn't post.  
> So, I'm killing all of you with feels.  
> Then I'm downplaying it because my brain has an immediate (sci-fi, usually) solution to everything.  
> I need to be stupider. Somebody turn me into Matt.  
> (I could use some self confidence)

Tord rushes forward and grabs the jacket out of his hand, putting it on over his shirt. He winces and collapses against the doorway, pain in his hip spiking suddenly.  
“Ahhhh ow. Ahh it hurts.”  
He pushes himself back up and limps on, Tom following worriedly next to him. Paul leads the way, jittery, as though he can't stand how slow they're running.  
“He's on th- the r-” Paul can't talk, he just leads the way up the stairs to the roof.  
And Tord realizes the problem right away.  
He also has a guess as to why there is a problem. All of this processes as Patryck smiles at them, gun held to his head.  
Standing on the edge of the roof.  
A mound of transparent armor sitting aside.  
“Oh hell no. Ah hell I should've called you in earlier. What do you- ah no.”  
Tord grabs his hair in anguish, not sure what to do. Does he ask what Edd wants? Does he tell him to back away?  
Does e threaten him?  
Bribe him?  
Tom steps forward. “What's going on?”  
Probably a good first question.  
“I need something from you. Oh yeah, this isn't Patryck doing this.”  
He laughs, and Paul sinks to his knees, unable to stand up anymore. “He already threatened me not to come closer.” Paul whispers.  
“See, there's not just the Green Revolt. Some of us don't like how relaxed Edd is, and his ‘good’ views. He doesn't want to kill anyone, he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Hell, he doesn't even want a leader. But you can't fight a war without pain, or dirty tricks.”  
Patryck sways slightly. “So we're going to break away soon. We're calling ourselves the Black Market Revolution. And we're willing to do anything to get rid of you.”  
He grins again, creepily. “So this was just an introduction. Oh, we're fully aware that you'll get rid of what's letting us control Patty here. But we will be back. Like an annoying mosquito, if you must give us a label. And we are carrying the Black Death.”  
Patryck tosses his gun aside, grins, then steps back. Paul shouts in fear and Tord launches himself forward and tosses his jacket off, grabbing a device as he launches himself off the edge of the roof after Patryck. He slaps the device to his back, and the jet pack unfolds across his back, boosting him toward Pat. He grabs him, then flies back up, landing lightly on the roof and setting Patryck down. Patryck sits up, hand to his head, looking confused. “What happened? Why are we here?” He sees Tord standing over him, jetpack on, Tom staring in horror, Paul on his knees crying now, from fear mixed with relief, and whitens. “What… seriously what happened?”  
“You were being controlled by the Green Revolt.” Tord stated bluntly. “Well, not really, but- we don't have time for this, I need you and Paul and Tom to come with me, this is more important than anything else right now.”  
Paul nods in quick agreement and comes forward, hugging Patryck and shaking, crying on his shoulder. Patryck pats (heh) him a couple times then stands up, and they walk back down into the base, Tom walking next to Tord, looking shaken.  
Tord suddenly leans against the wall, paling.  
“Ow. Ahhh crap I can't move.”  
He tries to move the leg with his bad hip and gasps in pain. “Ahhh ow okay bring me the brace thing Tom, and you two bring me some small chips I can put in your brain. Three, I need to protect the three of you from inner attacks.”  
They nod and start to leave,so Tord slides down the wall, and puts a hand to his hip. It shot pain into him, and he had a morbid desire to see it.   
He couldn't show his weakness in the middle of the hallway, though, with the chances of someone coming and seeing him.  
Tom comes back and hands him the brace thing, sitting next to him. “That… scared me.”  
“No kidding.”  
“Is it bad that I was more scared when you jumped off?”  
“No… your leader is more important than any soldier.”  
Tom rolls his eyes, muttering sarcastically under his breath. Tord glances at him, smirking, but doesn't say anything.   
Paul and Patryck come back, looking tense. They hand Tord the chips and stand there stiffly. He inserts them to a wire connected to his arm, and begins to program it. He has Tom fetch things, more sure about his safety than the other two, and he attaches a heat sensor, to sense anything different. He chuckles as he sets how it's going to make its way to their brain, then hands one to each of them.  
“This will tell you if something is wrong, and clear it out. Don't ask how. It's complicated. Just put it in your mouth, it'll find its way to your brain. As soon as it touches your tongue you won't feel it, so don't worry about that.”  
Tom looks uneasily at the chip in his hand. “You sure it works?”  
“Yeah. It's the same as mine. Better than the brace thing.”  
They put it in their mouths, then glance at him as he stars talking again. “You may get a slight headache in a minute or so. It'll go away. And you'll suddenly see whatever it is that's controlling you, should come out your mouth like a capsule, just give it to me I'll study it.”  
They look at him disgusted. “That's gross Tord.” Paul states.  
“I could've had you dissect your own shit.”  
“You could have.” Tom said. He starts snickering.   
“But it'll only do it once, for what's happening to you now. It's important that we figure out what is wrong.”  
Tom nods. “You already checked me and there was nothing. Will the” he makes a grossed out face. “Capsule still come out?”  
“No, it'll do it the next time something deadly enters.” Tord smirks. “And every time after that it'll be dissolved and go out with your breath. So we don't have to worry about it anymore.”  
Probably. If his gadgets were more advanced. If they didn't figure out a way around it. If-  
“Hey Tord, what do you think they'll do with the mind machines? You seemed worried about that.”  
“Find out my plans, what I want to do next. Read my mind. We should go home for the night soon.”  
Tom looks surprised by the change of subject but nods. “Alright. My place again?”  
“Yeaaaah.” Tord sighs.  
Paul and Patryck salute him and leave, and Tom and Tord teleport to the apartment.  
“I guess everything else is on hold till tomorrow?” Tom asks, sitting on the bench.  
“Yeah.” Tord takes off his jacket and walks toward Tom's room. “But I want to get an early start, time is of the essence now.”  
He paused in the middle of Tom’s doorway. “Or I could work tonight. Actually, that's a good idea, I can skip a night of sleep.”  
Tom rolls his eyes and takes off his shirt, setting it on the ground along with a couple other articles of dirty laundry he never washes.  
“No you can't. You need to be able to have lightning fast reactions like today. Which means you can't be sleep deprived.”  
Tord raises an eyebrow. “You think I won't be on the alert even with sleep deprivation? I never go to sleep earlier than 12, and I'm back at work at 4:30 sharp.”  
Tom rolls his eyes and beckons him closer. Tord frowns and walks over, hands in his pockets. “What? If I am going to stay up tonight I can't waste-”  
Tom cuts him off by kissing him, forcibly pushing him back until his knees hit the bed. He pulls away and smirks at him.  
“If you're going to stay up anyway, let’s at least enjoy it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning next chapter, if it's not obvious.  
> I'm definitely going to hell when I die.  
> Somebody give me Satans phone number, if im going there I'm going to have to start sucking up.


	61. Learn Norwegian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING  
> again it's not important to the story, you don't HAVE to read it.

Tord shakes his head, partly out of nervousness and out of an urgency to get things done. “Tom I-I have things to do, I can't waste-”  
Tom leans forward, his seductive smile showing that he knew he'd already won.  
“This isn't a waste of time.” He pushed Tord back, and he yelps, falling into the bed, hands holding himself up. “Tom-”  
Tom straddled him and kissed him, and Tord whimpers in defeat.  
Tom pushed him down and explored Tords mouth with his tongue, then helps him out of his shirt, immediately going back at it. Tord puts his hands on Tom’s hips, and yelps when Tom grinds against him.  
He whimpers and traces his hands up, resting against his chest.  
Tom kisses his cheek then under his jaw, and Tord shivers. They were doing it again. They really were. And despite everything, Tord couldn't wait.  
His patience wore thin as his desire grew, and he traced his hands back down to Tom’s waist, then pulls at his pants questioningly.  
Tom grabs his hands and pins them above his head.  
“Nope, we’ll continue when I say so.” Tords eyes widen. Oh no.  
Oh no he was going to tease him.  
He was going to hold off.  
“No please Tom.”   
“Not yet.”  
Tord shivers. He likes Tom’s seductive voice.   
Tom traces up and down his chest lightly, around his abs, his ribs.   
“Tom.”  
“What?”  
“Touch me.”  
“I am.”  
Tord grits his teeth. “Tom you know what I mean.”  
“Nope you're going to have to say it.”  
Tord huffs and looks away. His dignity wouldn't let him.  
But his dignity was starting to wear thin. Tom's hand danced around the outside of Tords pants, not touching him.  
“P-” Tord winces. “Please Tom.”  
“Please what?”  
“Touch me.”  
“I am.”  
“Trykk på min pikk. Vær så snill knulle meg.”  
Tom raises an eyebrow at Tords flustered look. “I don't speak that.”  
“I know. You have me slipping into it. Please just fuck me already.”  
Tom smirks. “And if I don't feel like it?”  
“Then I will kick you in the nuts and rip your pants off. Fuck me.”  
Tom winces then grins. “Alright you asked for it.” He unbuttons Tords pants and bring them down, then pulls down his own pants a little and rubs up against Tord’s crotch. Tord gasps and clenched his hands. God it felt good. But he wanted Tom inside him already.  
So he said so.  
“I want you in me. I want you to fuck me Tom please.” And promptly screams as Tom follows his command roughly, shoving in what seems like as hard as he can. He stills, smirking as he hears Tord’s whimpering and feels his shivers of pain.  
“Ow. D-don't stop.”  
Tom stimulates Tord’s dick as well, matching his pumping hand to his thrusting. Tom moans loudly, and Tom snickers, panting out, “You're a loud one aren't you?”  
Tord glares at him, then sits up just the tiniest bit, making Tom wince as his dick was put in an awkward position, and kisses Tom to shut him up. Tom fumbles in his rhythm then picks it back up again, and Tord has to pull away to keep himself from biting Tom’s tongue.   
Tom suddenly ducks his head and moans quietly, as he comes in Tord, spilling cum on the bed. He stops and Tord whimpers. “Don't stop, I'm not done yet.”  
Tom rolls his eyes and continues, and seconds later Tord moans once again and comes, once again making a mess on his abdomen.  
Tom pulls out and lays on his side next to Tord, leaning on his hand and just watching Tord recover, panting and sweaty and red faced.  
Tord sees Tom watching and rolls the other way, pulling his pants up embarrassedly.  
Tom scoots closer and whispers in his ear, “awww come on. Don't be like that.”  
“I can't believe you made me beg.”  
Tom snickers and wipes a finger on the mess on Tord’s stomach, licking his finger clean. “I like being in control of you. And knowing I'm the only one.”  
Tord keeps a stony silence.  
“Alright alright I'm sorry.”  
Tord glances at him. “No you're not.”  
“No, I'm not. But don't be mad.”  
Tord sighs and turns away again. “I'm not mad. Just tired.”  
“Then sleep.”  
“I was going to until you reminded me of the mess. You know how bad this will be to wake up to? ‘Oh yeah, we did that, now it's dried to my skin and I have to put my sheets in the wash.’”  
“Yeah we'd have to do that anyway.”  
Tom sighs. “It's okay I'll do it, I was the one that wanted to in the first place.”  
“It's in my ass.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “What, you want me to pull out and jack myself to coming?”  
“Shut up Tom, I'm trying to sleep.”  
“Night Tord.”  
Tord doesn't answer, even when Tom puts one of his legs between Tord’s and puts an arm around him.  
A few minutes later, he murmurs, “god natt.”  
Tom rolled his eyes. He really would have to learn Norwegian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Norwegian was taken from Google translate. Don't judge, I don't know it.


	62. Waking Up

Tord wakes in the morning in as much discomfort as he'd imagined.  
And he was cuddled against Tom, curled with his head against Tom's neck and their legs intertwined, arms wrapped around him.  
He snorts and detangles himself, then realizes.  
“Shit, I was supposed to work on my- agh! Tom you jerk you distracted me!”  
He whispers fiercely as he stands up and goes to take a shower. When he gets out, forgetting he didn't have clothes, waist wrapped in a towel, Tom is still asleep.  
Tord glances at the messy sheets. “I'll clean it up later.”  
He borrows a couple of Tom's clothes, just one size too small, and sits on the bed, looking at him.  
Tom was quite attractive. Maybe a little heavier than Tord, but only barely. Actually, they had very similar body types. Lean muscles, little to no fat. Not overly muscular, but it was there.  
Tord stops this wandering train of thought and sits at the desk in Toms room, getting out a piece of paper and starting to work on one of the hardest projects of all.  
Time-space theory.  
By the time Tom woke up, he had a relative theory cut out and plans for a prototype time machine- for the past only. Tom sat up and sleepily rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”  
“4:13.”  
“Why the hell am I awake already?”  
“You kidding? I got extra sleep.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “You don't have to show off. I'm going back to bed.”  
“Good luck with that.”  
Tom looks at him, partly curious but mostly annoyed, and turns away, curling up.  
Tord smirks as he sits up suddenly, ripping off the sheet and tossing it on the ground. He glares at Tord. “W’s itchy.”  
He lays down again. “Sleeping.”  
A few minutes later Tom sits up again, and Tord snickers.  
“I can't sleep. You woke me up.”  
“Morning sleepyhead.”  
Tom growls at him, a replica of his monster self, and stands up, then double takes at Tord.  
“Are those my clothes?”  
“Mine are ruined or on the roof of the base, so yes. In fact, I'll work on making about ten more pairs, since apparently that's how many I'll need.”  
Tom rolls his digital eyes and walks out.  
When he comes in later he looks kind of uncomfortable.  
Tord glances at him, but doesn't ask. Tom sees the sheet on the floor and sighs, picking it up and walking out again.  
Tord stands up and reviews his papers. It would be a good first try.  
“Hey Tom?”  
Tom pokes his head in. “Yeah?”  
“How would you like to have a device that lets us speak telepathically?”  
Tom raises his eyebrows. “Serious?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Would it be mind reading or just when we choose to let the other hear?”  
“It'd be like texting.”  
Tom shrugs. “Sure why not?” He leans against the doorframe, watching Tord work for a minute.  
“You had a nightmare.” Tord glances at Tom quickly, startled.  
“What?” He asks.  
“You woke me in the middle of the night, having a nightmare.”  
Tord narrows his eyes. “Doesn't everyone? You don't have to rub it in.”  
He actually thinks he knows what Tom is talking about. It used to be a nightmare he had often, but it went away when he was 17 or so. Mostly because the subject had never come up again, so he had no reason to think about it.  
Until recently, when Tom asked the taboo question.  
“Yeah I guess. I was just worried is all.”  
“Don't. It's fine.” Tord continues drawing, trying not to remember. Maybe he should make a device for that- oh yeah his memory eraser gun. Too bad Matt had lost it. And it didn't work for more memories than a year old.  
“It sounds like you're dodging the question. Do you remember it?”  
“Shut up Tom.”  
“I'm going to take that as a yes?”  
“Shut up!” Tom stops pestering him, but Tord found it hard to focus, memories resurfacing. He finally just packed up hit papers and stood up. “Come on let's go to the base.”  
Tom nods. “Sure.” And they teleport to his office. Tord goes to the roof really quick and grabs his jacket, then goes back to the room and asks Tom to bring him a few things.  
“Hey sorry for pushing.” Tom says, setting the metal scrap and blow torch down on the desk.  
“Stop talking about it it's fine.”  
“Can I play music?”  
“I don't care.”  
After a couple minutes of messing with the hologram, Tom glances at Tord.  
“I can't find it.”  
“Try talking to it. It's voice activated.”  
Tom turns to the hologram. “You serious?”  
“Yeah, just try it.”  
“Okay. Music?”  
Tord snickers.  
“Turn on music.”  
Tord laughs, and Tom glares at him. “Liar. Get back to work you have stuff to do.”  
“You sound like me now.”  
Tom grins. “That was the point.”


	63. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am doing almost nothing today... but may not be able to post too much.

Tord holds up his newfound device, weighing the options. He could have a volunteer-  
Suddenly with a flash of light, some random soldier appears out of thin air, holding the device in his hand (though a little different). Tord glances at him.  
“Alright got it, go back or I'll kill you.”  
The soldier disappears.  
Tom facepalms. “Really?”  
“I was thinking about it and it happened. Which means it worked, which means I can test it.”  
Tord summons a soldier at random to his office. The soldier comes in, looking awestruck at his luck. “Hello sir!”  
He salutes Tord, who waves a hand. “Alright, I want you to press this button and flip this, and it'll take you back in time five minutes.”  
“Yes sir…?”  
“Don't question me you idiot, just do it.”  
The soldier salutes him and does as he was told. The device sparks, but otherwise does nothing. Tord takes it and examines a display connected by Bluetooth to the time device, then tweaks it.   
“Come back in ten minutes sharp.” He tells the soldier, who salutes and walks out feeling like the luckiest person alive.  
Tord fixes it then sits back. He looks at Tom. “Have you seriously no found the music yet?”  
“Impatient, aren't you?”  
“Slow, aren't YOU? Here-” Tord moves Tom aside and easily pulls up the album.  
“There you go.” He goes and sits down.  
“Real quick, fetch me a couple brain chips won't you?”  
Tom sticks his tongue out at Tord behind his back and teleports away.  
Tord glances behind him when Tom doesn't show up a few minutes later.  
“Tom?”  
He messages him and decides to go ahead and write the program.   
Tom teleports in a couple minutes later, holding two bottles of Smirnoff.  
“No, Tom.”  
Tom pouts at him. “Why not?”  
“I said no.”  
“Too bad.” Tom toasts him sarcastically and drinks some. “I'm getting drunk. It's been too long.”  
“It's been two days.”  
“Exactly.” Tom looks at him. “Too long.” He downs half the bottle then chokes, spilling some. “Drank too fast.”   
Tord smirks at him. “So don’t. Problem solved. I don’t really know how safe you’ll be if you’re drunk.”  
“Probably not too much.”  
“Did you even get the chips?”  
Tom looks startled, then reaches in his pocket. “Oh, yeah.” He hands them to Tord. “Sorry if I took a while I was found by a gang of fangirls.”  
Tord looks at him out of the corner of his eye. “You have fangirls?”  
“Wow, you’re surprised by that. Maybe they’re too scared to hit on you?”  
Tord looks so confusedly lost that Tom changes the subject. “Alright what song do you want?” He says, going over to the hologram and scrolling.   
“I don’t care.”  
“Why are you so dismissive of your music?”  
“Because. It’s just there I don’t know.”  
Tom clicks on Soldier by Samantha Jade (Nightcore version).  
Tord snickers. What an ironically accurate song. In some ways.  
He hands Tom the chip, having downloaded the program. Tom looks at it for a moment. “So do I do it the same way?”  
Tord shrugs. “You can either stick it in your mouth or up your ass, you choose.” He puts it in his mouth, and a couple seconds later he feels a pinch in the back of his head, then a telepathic connection.  
‘Hey Tom,’ Tord says telepathically.  
Tom doesn’t answer, but looks highly confused. Tord sighs.  
Out loud, “It’s not too special, it just means I can ‘text’ you even without a phone, or without saying anything. So maybe not necessary when we’re face to face, but whatever.”  
‘Ha you’re seeking approval.’  
‘Shut it.’  
“Okay cool you’ve got it figured out.”  
Tord turns as the time machine volunteer walks back in, saluting him. Tord hands him the device. “Try again. Drop it and I will kill you. But don’t change anything about the past.”  
The volunteer tries again. Not even a spark.  
“Okay thank you. I fixed one problem and made another. Come back in ten minutes.”  
The volunteer nods as Tord turns away and salutes him before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL GUYS!  
> For those of you who may have been curious, I'm going to be a junior in high school next year.


	64. Depression?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha  
> HAHAHAHHA  
> I love what I'm going to do next chapter.  
> Anyway, HERES A FEELINGS JAM ENJOY!!!

Tom gets thoroughly drunk by the time Tord finally perfects the time machine. One time the device messed up and his volunteer got cut in half, so Tord had to call in someone new.  
However, Tom isn’t acting drunk. Well, he was swaying and his face was slightly red from the alcohol, but he wasn’t saying anything. Tord sends out the volunteer and tries the machine himself (out in the hallway as to not cause a paradox somehow.), and it works well. He comes back to his time, a minute later than he left, and looks around. “Tom?”  
Tom was gone. If Tord hadn’t been worried about dabbling in time too much before he’s learned the do’s and don’t’s, he would go back a minute and see where he went.  
He contacts him telepathically. ‘Tom? Where’d you go?’  
‘For a walk’ came the response, and Tord seals the device in a cabinet.  
‘Where? I’ll join you.’  
The response comes back muffled, as though the alcohol messed up the clarity of the message. ‘I don’t want you to. I’m depressed. Wait, shouldn’t’ve said that.’  
Tord groans. ‘You’re drunk. Come back.’  
‘I don’t need you to worry about me. I’m fine.’  
‘Tell me where you are!’  
The response didn’t come for another minute, making Tord worried more than he was already.  
‘I’m on the roof. Not gonna jump I swer. Jus hnngn out.’  
Tord rushes toward the stairs. ‘Stay away from the edge! You’re not stable, you could fall!’  
He takes the steps two at a time, reaching the hatch and fumbling to open it.   
‘And who would care?’ Tom replies. ‘No one. You have your army to distract you, Matt would never notice, I have already made Edd’s life to difficult for him to-’  
Tord wraps his arms around Tom from behind. Tom wasn’t near the edge of the building thank god, but was sitting halfway between the hatch and the edge. It was still dark outside, clouds heavy overhead. It may rain later today. Tom doesn’t respond to Tord, just continues sitting.   
Tord whispers in his ear. “Don’t do that. Don’t walk away, let me come with you, it scares me.”  
“S’meone is feeling touchy feely now.”  
Tord rolls his eyes but doesn’t let go, just sits with his legs on either side of Tom and arms wrapped around him.  
“What’s wrong Tom? You’re not usually like this.”  
“Drunk? ‘Mm drnnk all th time.”  
“No, I mean depressed.”  
Tom is quiet for a moment. “You’d be surprised. Trrd it’sn’t fair. I don’t want t’be a monster. Heh, t’bia. Like the bone.”  
Tom leans back against Tord, who has to hold himself up with one hand.  
“I betrayed m’ friend, Tord.”  
Tord winces. It was because of him. It was his fault that Tom felt like that.   
“‘nd I’m a monster, ‘nd I made you hurt, by getting kidnapped.”  
“It’s not your fault. If anyone, it’s mine for feeling like this about you.”  
“‘nd Matt was tricked to joining, nd my parents are dead, nd my life sucks. M’ friend group was broken apart. They were like family. But I betrayed them and Edd… must hate m’ now. ‘nd now ‘m a alcoholic and depressed and making you worry and no one would care if I died, why don’t I?”  
“Because that’s a lie. God, Tom, I didn’t know you were worried about this. I didn’t know you felt like that about joining me.”  
Tord starts to back away but Tom grabs his arm, his robotic arm, and holds him there. “No. Don’t leave. I want you here.”   
Tord hesitated. He needed to get back to work. “Can we go back to my office?”  
“So you can keep ignoring me and working on…” Tom searches for an offensive word but can’t find one. “Things?”  
“Tom I wasn’t ignoring you. You’re so needy.” He teases, poking Tom’s side. Tom yelps and backs away. Tord’s eyes widen. “You’re ticklish?”  
Tom blushes. “Shht up.”  
“Ha! You are!” Tom glares at him. Tord just smirks at him and sobers again. “So do you want me to stop making you turn into the monster?”  
Tom winces. “I don’t know. I want to help, but I hate not having control of my emotions or my own body. I think it helps a little that you have control of it, but it pissed m’ off at frrst, b’cause you could control it b’fore I could.”  
Tord shrugs. “Okay, I’ll think about that later. Tom…” He ducks his head. “Why did you choose me over Edd? I know we have a thing going now, but you hated me and you joined anyway.”  
“Because… You were so powerful.” Tord chuckles derisively. “You were so powrrful and I wanted in. Edd wss being stupid and by the time he left it ws too late. I wanted to be a part of your future vision.”  
Tord is surprised by his response. “You were motivated by my domination?”  
“Yeah, it wss coooool.”  
Tom crawls forward and wraps his arms and legs around Tord, head on his chest. “‘nd now ‘m yours and can be… with you…”  
Tord sighs, knowing he’s passed out.   
This was worrying. He’d known forever that Tom had an alcohol problem. He didn’t know depression factored into it. He picked up Tom and began to carry him to his office, then stops and laughs.  
Oh yeah.   
Today was his birthday.  
He heard rain start to sprinkle on the roof just as he closed the hatch, and looked up worryingly. Today was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Tord.  
> Worrying about his drunk depressed boyfriend.  
> Probs no more chapters today unless I'm luck-  
> oh I forgot I'm going to the public librarby after school, there may be another update if I do that instead of hanging out with friends.
> 
> Also little bit of oversharing I'm finding it easier to write feels because I is depressed, my friend is moving to Colorado.


	65. Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoooooo new headcannon.  
> I should've been home about an hour ago but I don't really care. Gonna check out a book at the library before heading that way.  
> This is how much I love you guys.  
> Well, mostly the story, but you all make it so much better.

Tord winced when he heard the thunder from far away. He always holed up when he saw a storm coming, just in case there was lightning.  
He doesn’t know where he got his fear of thunder. Maybe it was the fact that he had a lot of experience with bombs. Definitely couldn’t have gotten any better since his crash.  
Maybe it had to do with the fact that his neighbor when he was younger had to go to the hospital when their house was struck by lightning. Who knows. Usually Paul and Patryck were here, but they weren’t here yet, probably slept in. They sometimes came in at 5:30, later than Tord, because they knew he liked to do his morning routine alone.  
Exersizes.   
He went through his morning routine, having missed a couple days, but a crash of thunder made him jump, scooting to the wall to lean against it.  
Tom was still asleep, but starting to move around and murmur as though restless.  
Tord watched him then winced again as the thunder crashed.  
It was 6:15. Where were they?! Tord messaged them, trying not to sound frantic but knowing they’d know he was.  
Tom eventually woke up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It was 6:25.  
“Tord…?”  
Tord looked at him. Yay, what a state to be found in. Tom looks confused. “What’rr you doing curled up over- ah, hold on.” He ran to the bathroom.  
Tord put his face in his arm, yelping and tensing when the lightning came again. It wasn’t really close yet, but was definitely getting there. He messaged Paul and Patryck again. His budding worry for them definitely wasn’t helping.  
Suddenly the door to his room opened, and Patryck came in, sitting next to Tord and putting an arm around him, as he always does when Tord is like this.  
They were the only ones that knew, until a couple minutes later when Tom came in from the bathroom, wiping his mouth.  
“What’s going on?”  
Patryck looks conflicted, so Tord just calls Tom over and has him sit in front of him, facing toward him, and hugs him, legs on either side. He tenses, squeezing Tom, when the thunder sounds again, nearby.  
He hated this, but the fear would not be ignored. It was worse when no one was around, he could become a shivering mess. There was one time, not long after he met Paul and Pat, where he was screaming every time the thunder sounded. He’d gotten over that, luckily. Tord buries his face in Tom’s neck, and feels Tom petting his back reassuringly (and somewhat confusedly).  
He whispers something quietly to Patryck, as if hoping Tord didn’t hear, but Tord’s ear was against his shoulder and he heard anyway.  
“Is he scared of lighting?”  
“Wow great guess genius.”  
“Sheesh alright. I guess that’s a yes-”  
Thunder, what sounds like from right overhead, and Tord’s arms are starting to cramp from how tightly he’s holding Tom. He didn’t hear the next part of the conversation, too busy panting harshly from fear, but he hears Patrycks response.  
“Yeah, we had a bit of trouble with some people spreading rumors. True, unfortunately, so it’s harder to tamp down. Especially since they won’t tell us who the eyewitness is.”  
Thunder, Tord flinching.  
“What’s the rumor?”  
“It’s about you and Red Leader.”  
“Ahhhh shit. He’s not going to like this.”  
“I can hear you you jerk.” Tord’s voice is more high pitched than normal, and he punches Tom lightly in the side.  
“Ow. Okay, got it. Jeez you gotta add a bruise to my collection of pain. Headache, stomachache, hangover in general, and now a bruise.”  
Tord punches him again, just as lightly. He definitely didn’t hit hard enough to bruise. Tom exaggerates his wince, messing with him. “Yep, definitely a bit of internal bleeding. Why do you do this to m-Ack!”  
Tord hugs him tightly enough to make it hard to breathe, the lightning scaring him beyond reason. He doesn’t even notice Tom’s hand petting his hair, or his head dipping a little, until Tom gently lifts his head and kisses him. Tord’s eyes widen, then he kisses back, head tilted down a little. If it was a story or a hentai, the shorter one would probably be the scared one. Tord laughs at this, then yelps and grabs Tom’s jacket with clenched fists and bites his lip on accident. He winces and pulls away. “Sorry, I-” Thunder interrupts him, but it seems quieter, no longer over their heads. Tord starts to put his head on Tom’s shoulder again but Tom uses one hand to hold his head in place, looking into his eyes.  
“Let me distract you.” Patryck starts laughing and Tom sticks his tongue out at him, then occupies said tongue by kissing Tord again, heatedly. Tord almost doesn’t notice the next lightning strike, preoccupied, but he clenches Tom with his legs in nervousness.   
Tom pulls away when the thunder stops, a minute or two later. Tord makes a face at him, partly disappointed and partly disgusted. “Your mouth tastes terrible.”  
“You taste terrible, shut up.”  
Tord laughs, still breathless from the adrenaline of the last fifteen minutes, and shakily stands up. He looks up quickly when he hears thunder again, but it’s far enough away not to scare him much.  
Tom looks at him curiously. “Since when have you been scared of thunder?”  
“Since none of your business.” Tord retorts, and Patryck more helpfully replies, “Since he was young. Before he met us.”  
Tord sticks his tongue out at him and goes to the bathroom to get the rather offensive taste out.  
Tom glances at Patryck. “So where did you meet him?”  
Patryck looks away. “I don’t think that’s my place to tell you.”  
Tom narrows his eyes. “Do you know about his dark past or whatever?”  
Patryck looks at him and answers in the best way he can. “Does he know about yours?”  
Good point.  
Tord comes out of the bathroom and frowns at Tom. “Go eat something, take a mint, chew some gum. That was gross.”  
“Sor-ryy for helping, scaredy pants.” Tord fumes at him and starts to come closer in anger, but Tom holds up his hands and with a stern look says, “I was joking. Joking, okay? I’m sorry, won’t come up again.” He lowers his hands when it looks like Tord is no longer going to kill him or, at the least, punch him in the face.  
“Besides, it’s not that weird, if that’s what you’re worried about. Everyone has phobias. Mine is clowns, creepy or not. I tell you, that was a bad birthday party as a kid.” Tom shudders.  
Tord nods at him and turns to Patryck, arm twitching when he hears the far off thunder again.   
“What exactly did you hear, and from where?”  
“Wha- oh, the rumors? It was… kinda all over the base. Paul is sending out a notice to everyone that anyone found spreading false rumors will be killed.”  
“Okay, fine, whatever, but what did they say specifically?”  
“Ehhh… only that you were making out with your assistant. It would be easier if it weren’t true, BUT I am the last person to judge so…” He shrugs. “We’re taking care of it, still trying to find the person who said it. Oh, and we got a request from a soldier, one of your old friends, to be your third in command. Matt.”  
Tord nods. “Bring him to my office. And make SURE those rumors stop.”   
Patryck nods and stands up, leaving.   
Tom looks at Tord. “Do you have any gum?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wondering (Answer in the comments if you want)  
> What countries do you guys come from? Are there mostly British people reading this?  
> NO SPECIFICS I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE. JUST THE COUNTRY.  
> Okay peace out, see you all tomorrow.


	66. Backstory Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a taste of backstory. I will address the waster egg where Tord, Edd, Tom, Matt, Eduardo, Paul, Patryck, and others were in the same Classroom. Don't worry.
> 
> I don't know why it capitalized Classroom but I im too lazybones to change it.
> 
> What the hell. Why did it change lazy to-
> 
> I'm going to sleep, even though it's barely noon.   
> I can't deal with autocorrect.
> 
> Also long chapter yaaaaaaaay

Tord laughs and shakes his head. “No, find some. Or don't worry about it.”  
“But what if I spontaneously want to kiss you again?”  
“Then deal.”  
Tom pouts at him. “Why?”  
“Because your mouth tastes horrible that's why, you shouldn't have gotten drunk.”  
“I have a question.”  
“Okay cool.”  
Tom narrows his eyes at that response. “Okay, how did you meet Paul and Patryck?”  
Tord freezes then laughs. “We met while breaking out of jail.”  
Tom raises his eyebrows.  
“They were in there on two charges. Government hacking and inciting a riot at a political protest. They didn't tell me until later that the protest was against the release of a few racists. Apparently they fought and killed a couple prison guards. Me, I was in jail for arson, and first degree murder, and infiltrating the government and kidnapping and torture- I had thirteen charges, I'm not going through it all. Took them a while to catch me, and the reason they did was because I was bored and wanted to see how easy it would be to break out of prison.”  
“You sound really scary right now.”   
Tord laughs, for about a minute. “You're surprised?”  
“... no, not really. Just wondering about the arson and torture.”  
Tord winces and looks away. “Don't ask for details.”  
“How old were you?”  
Tord has to think about it. “Sixteeeen?”  
Toms eyes widen but he doesn't answer. “Go on?”  
“Anyway, it was pretty easy, my concealed handguns basically busted me out, I didn't have to hack anything. I met them in the air vents, which, despite perfectly reasonable movies, were not blocked.”  
Tom rolls his eyes.  
“We got out, stole a cops car. Heard over the radio that we were kill on sight, so we left the country.”  
“Soooo that's why you moved to England?”  
“Yeah.”  
“They let you in?”  
Tord grins and looks away. “Noooot really? I made a drivers ID, wiped my information from the prison, the easy stuff. Paul and Patryck were just buddies then, but later I found them making out, and that's how I learned they were a thing.”  
“How'd you react?”  
“I didn't. I didn't really care.”  
Tom sighs. “Of course you didn't. So how many people did you kill?”  
Tord looks away, taking a while to answer. “Two. The ones I tortured I kept alive, except two.”  
Tom looks curious but can tell from Tord’s pained expression not to ask.  
“We hid out a little, then I found Edd when breaking into that arcade.”  
Tom laughs. “Yeah, then he brought you home and we were immediately at each other's throats.”  
“How do you remember that?!? You were drunk off your ass!”  
“I was acting more drunk than I was.” Tom answers simply. “You were the reckless one.”  
“True. I was a lot dumb- less experienced than I am now.”  
“You also knew a lot less English.”  
“Ja jeg vet. En del av grunnen til at du hatet meg så mye.”  
“What?” Tom looks so confused, and Tord grins.   
“Yeah I know. Part of the reason you hated me so much.” He translates, and Tom laughs. “True. I also couldn't stand your accent.”  
“... why?”  
Tom blushes. “Well, it… I don't know…?”  
“Do you have any idea how racist you sound?”  
Tom glares at him. “It was just part of it. Mostly it was your personality.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Flattered. I can't help my accent, d-bag.”  
“No I- I don't mind it now. That's not- I was finding reasons to hate you and that was one of them.”  
Tord walks forward and puts a finger under his chin. “Admit it. You love my accent now.”  
Tom blushes and looks away. “Maybe.”  
“It flusters you. Turns you on.”  
Tom smirks. “You wish.”  
“Dammit.” Tord drops his hand and sits at his desk. There's a knock on the door, and Tord doesn't look up from the hologram, reading something. “Who is it?”  
“How am I supposed to know?”  
“Th-the camera, right there, right freaking- agh!” Tord walks over and points at a screen in the wall next to the door. “This!”  
Tom snickers at his exasperation, and says in a teasing tone, “I knew that.”  
Tord throws up his hands and shows what the camera sees out the door.   
Matt and Paul are there, Patryck having gone to take over rumor dissolution.  
They walk in and Matt's eyes shine.   
“I missed you!” He says, walking toward Tom and hugging him. Tord feels kinda guilty for forgetting about him. After all, Matt was always the most on his side (aka the most gullible) and the friendliest.  
Maybe he was just paying Matt back for forgetting about him.  
Anyway, Tom gently pushes him away (never having been the most affectionate person) and smiles at him.  
“Yeah. What've you been up to?”  
“Well, see, I just recently found out that they had selfie sticks, so…” he goes on to show Tom his best selfies, and Tord rolls his eyes and taps Matts shoulder.  
“Hey, you want to be my third in command?”  
“Sure! Where do I put my stuff?”  
“No- no I meant you requested it, right?”  
“Oh. I did? Cool!” He grins. “So what's happened while I've been busy?”  
“Busy… with what? Oh, your squadron was in Sweden, right?”  
“What? Why would I be in Sweden?”  
“To control the… the people that live there.”  
“Why?”  
“So they don't overthrow my control…” Tord is highly confused by now.  
“Oh did you take over Sweden? Congrats! We should party!”  
Tord stares at him, then looks at Tom. Tom just snickers.   
‘That's Matt for you.’ He says telepathically.  
“Matt, I took over the world.”  
Matt stares at him. “That's… AMAZING!”  
“What have you been doing???”  
“Glad you asked! It's a funny story actually. So these guys dressed in black found me- must have been attracted by my amazing looks- and told me they had a special offer. They took me to another guy, who was all, “hey I'm a big scary person and I will give you money to join me” and I was all “no way! I'm taken, thank you very much. So I heroically broke out, and ate some food, then went home and slept. I went to find a job, and nobody wanted me! They were too jealous! Also they didn't like my fashionable new jacket-” He shows off his uniform, which everyone wears, and Tord sits at his desk, head on his hand, bored. Still though, it sounded important.  
So then a guy saw me and-” Paul looks at his phone, sees something, and runs out, eyes wide. Tord watches him go, uninterested. If it was a problem, he'd take care of it.  
“Told me I was supposed to be back here. So I came back here, and heard that you had a certain special “second in command” and they thought his name was Tom. So I was like “Hey! I know him! Maybe I can be a special third in command?”  
Tord covers his face with his hands, exasperated. Of course.  
“I found the guy that left, who I saw on TV, and asked if he wanted my autograph. He said no, and I was all “Hey! Can I be third in command?” He looked confused but told me he'd talk to you!”  
Tord takes his hands through his hair, part fixing it and part nervous habit.  
‘ “special second in command.” ‘ Tom says telepathically. Tord can practically hear his suppressed laughter. ‘They aren't wrong.’  
Tord groans and looks up at Matt. “So basically you want to be my assistant.”  
“Yeah!”  
“Fine. I'll fill you in. But first I have a few things I need to drill into your head.  
First off, you have to pay attention, and I am in charge. You do exactly what I say, and don't get distracted.”  
“I can do- OH HEY LOOK! Buttons!” He points at the wall, starting to walk toward it. Tom stops him. “If you touch the wall it might punch you in the face.”  
Ironically, that was a possibility.  
“Aww.” Matt looks disappointed.  
“Have you had sugar recently, Matt?”  
Matt gets a puppy dog face. “Only a little?”  
“What did you eat?”  
“A… honeybun.”  
Tom sighs. “Okay. Straight sugar, we might survive. Tord, he's not going to listen to a thing you say. Ask him to come back later.”  
Tord sighs and waves him off. Matt looks disappointed, but his reflection on the wall quickly distracts him. “Hello there handsome. You look mighty fine today.”  
Tord shuts the door. “I think I will. Simply because of seeing him in the field. Hopefully he's more reasonable off his sugar high.”  
“Ehh yeaaah? Don't expect a huge change though.”  
“Okay. Going back to a previous subject, are you going to tell me any more of your past or is that all I'm getting?”  
“Why don't you tell me how you met Edd?”  
Tom looks surprised. “Well… actually we've pretty much known each other all throughout elementary. Well, we didn't become real friends till high school. Actually, we became close friends when he found me drunk on the roof of the high school.”  
Tord raises his eyebrows. “What is it with you, drunkenness, and roofs?”  
“It's pretty up there. I like sitting on the edge, feeling the breeze, seeing the other buildings from the same height.”  
“So you do it to make yourself feel taller.”   
“Okay, you are BARELY taller than me, you can't make short jokes.”  
Tord laughs and rolls his eyes. “Sure.”  
“Aaanyway he was up there doing homework and saw me staggering to the edge, stopped me, we talked, I got drunker. I don't remember most of it.”  
Tord nods.  
“Then he invited me to his house to spend the night, and, uh, apparently I told him how my parents died? He was sure I was adopted, but he was just being insensitive. Then I-”  
Tord shoots up from his desk, and dashes around it. “Come on.” He pulls Tom’s arm, then lets go and runs ahead. He'd been ignoring the notification on his desk, listening to Tom. Well, pretending anyway. Then he caught a word, read the message, and realized he had to go. Now.  
“Uh Tord? Tord what's wrong?”  
Tord shakes his head, too giddily excited, and apprehensive.  
“Is it my story? Uh. I'm confused…”  
‘No it's not.’ Tord replies telepathically. ‘I was only partly listening. It was- you'll see in a sec.’  
He bursts out the door, onto the parking lot. Paul and Patryck stand at the North end, huddled together, guns aimed at something on the ground. Tord walks toward them and pushes them aside, standing at his usual position in front.  
On the ground, legs crisscrossed, Edd sat with his hands above his head. He sees Tord and chuckles nervously. “Hi… Tord. Please don't kill me right away. I have stuff to say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would split it to two but again I am the laziest person in the world right now.


	67. Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna write a new thing. Yay!  
> Also, shout out to Postal_Service, and their fic Glad to be Back. It's really good! Read it! All the characters are really well played and I just. LOVE IT.

Tord stares for a moment, then jerks his head. “Put him in the interrogation room. I'll let him explain himself before I start.”  
Edd pales but doesn't protest when Paul and Patryck pull him to his feet, tying his hands behind his back, and a murmured threat in his ear.  
“Take one wrong step, and you'll find your brain on the other side of the room.”  
Edd doesn't respond, and walks between them.   
Nobody notices Edd fiddling with his hands when they get in, or the thumbnail size object he drops near the door to the base.  
They take him into a dark room, tying him into a chair. Edd winces a little when they tie his wrists behind it, as though straining his shoulder, but otherwise doesn't complain.  
Tom is silent as Tord goes to his room to get a couple things.  
‘I'll be back.’ He says telepathically, and leaves.  
Tord looks after him. He should probably stop him, but he also was worried about what Tom might be thinking, if he was mad at Tord again. However childish it sounded, he didn't want Tom mad at him.  
He grabbed a couple things and hesitates when he sees the torture devices he used on Edd before.  
Not only did he feel guilty for using it on him, his friend (ex-friend?), but… he only used it that one time out of anger. He would never use it with a clear mind. Not when he remembered why he made it.  
He shakily puts it in his pocket anyway. Maybe he'll just show it to him to scare him.  
Tord shivers, and one single memory resurfaces.   
Standing over a man, writhing and screaming on the ground, and not feeling the glee he'd expected. Just a slight relief, and a weary fatigue.  
And a fear, what would happen if he survived, what if he punished-  
He kneels down and stabs the man in the chest, and his screams go silent and turn to choking.  
Blood covers his hands.  
Blood covers his shoes.  
Blood covers his knife.  
Tord shook his head, shaking the memory. Well, shaking all over. But despite the primal fear trying to root in his mind, he turns his thoughts to what he needed to know from Edd.  
What was he here for, first off. He started to make his way to the interrogation room.  
Meanwhile, Tom rushed to the room and asked Paul and Patryck for a minute with Edd. They were suspicious, but figured if Tord trusted him they could too, and stepped outside.  
Tom made Edd look at him. “Edd, WHY DID YOU COME HERE???”  
Edd winces at his volume. “I had to. You'll see when Tord gets here.”  
“Tords going to interrogate you! He's going to torture you!”  
Edd looks down at his lap and doesn't say anything, face somewhat pale. “You don't have to remind me Tom. I'm already scared enough.”  
Tom grits his teeth, debating. He didn't think Tord would kill Edd, or drive him insane, but he wasn't sure.  
He decided to tell Edd anyway.  
“He’s not going to kill you.”  
Edd looks up at him. “Why...not?”  
“I… told him not to?”  
Edd raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “And why would he listen to you? Last thing I knew you were blowing each other up.”  
Tom looks away. “Uhhhhh….”  
“No tell me, I've been curious since I saw you next to him on TV. Is he holding something over you, or what?”  
“Uuuuhhhhhhhh……”  
Tom sits back,blushing a little. “We don't have time for this he's going to come any minute. Just tell him whatever, don't fight him I don't want you too hurt.”  
Edd leans forward, bonds straining, obviously paining him, but he doesn't care.   
“Then why'd you join him in the first place?”  
Tom stares at him for a minute, then the door bursts open. Tord strolls in and sets a couple scary looking instruments aside. He stands in front of Edd and seems, for once, lost for words. Edd stares into his face, as though looking for something.  
“Why are you here, Edd. Why did you come waltzing to my army and just hand yourself over? What's your big plan, you know I could kill you, right?”  
Edd shrugs. “Yeah.”  
“So tell me why you're here!”  
“Well…” Edd looks away. “So you know the Green Revolt, and now you know about the Black Market Revolution.” He winces. “They're basically a piece of the Revolt that didn't like how we worked. And I realized, to get the soldiers together as one group, it needed a leader, whether I liked it or not. So I-”  
The ground rumbles, making Tord look down quickly.   
“Paul, do me a favor and check on that.”  
Paul nodded quickly and practically ran out. He was always a bit queasy about interrogations.  
Tord turns to Edd. “Continue, please. If you don't want to get shot.” Edd swallowed nervously. “So I became their leader. A sorta… president figure? I have a few people who make decisions with me. But, uh they all voted-”  
There was another rumble.  
Then the alarms went off.  
The door closed, locking them in.  
Tord opened a panel in the wall, trying to override the system. It didn't work.  
Edd stares at the door, an odd expression on his face. Tord storms up to him and holds a gun against his head. “What the hell is happening?”  
“Well, they voted to put the Black Market in charge. And they're coming to destroy you. They put a tracker on me and sent me here.”  
Edd grins. “Welcome to the black market.”  
His physical hologram dissolved, meaning they were trapped, in the interrogation room, the system overridden somehow, and fire was coming to incinerate them all.

In T-4 minutes.


	68. Patryck No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely longer than before  
> ...  
> YAY FINALLY.

“Ahhh shit Tom THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T TRUST HIM!”  
Tom is too scared to be mad. “Tord, will this armor keep us safe?”  
“I- I don't know. A bomb and whatnot is one thing, and it does protect us from heat. But I set the defense strong enough to burn a body to char it, and that's a LOT of heat!”  
Patryck frantically tries to find a way out. “Tord- Sir what if Paul-”  
Tord walks toward Patryck and grabs him by the shoulders. “Patryck calm down. He probably had a better chance than we do. At least, if I wasn't smart enough to have an emergency exit.”  
He stayed for a second more. “Do I need to slap you?”  
“N-no sir I'll be fine.”  
Tord looks up at him, eyes narrowed, then nods and turns away. “Alright, lets go, we have to hurry and pray to god it's not blocked off.”  
Tord walked to a certain part of the room and pressed his hands against the floor, making a circle like a manhole cover flip out and reveal a tunnel.  
“Alright come on hurry.”   
As though to emphasize his point, his clock announced they had three minutes.  
“Come on!!! We have to run out of the building in time.”  
Patryck looks out the door, and fear shows, but he jumps down and crouches in the small tunnel, waddling speedily down the straight path. Tom gets in behind him, then Tord closes the door after he jumps in, sealing them in total darkness. Well, except for Toms eyes.  
They reflected off of something up ahead.  
Tord whispers to Patryck, echoing as they ran, “Let me in front, I have a flashlight.”  
Where was that harsh breathing coming from?  
He quickly makes his way around and turns on the beam in his palm. That thing had a lot of uses, but right now it was perfect for light.  
He yelped when he felt Tom, right behind him, grab the bottom of his shirt. He glanced back, and Tom was pale and shaking. In a voice at least an octave higher than usual, he whispered, “Please hurry. Faster. Please.”  
Tord tried to go faster but as he was already running for his life-  
He slams into someone and falls over, Tom falling on top of him, and an “oof” from Patryck as he bumps into Tom.  
Tord sits up, confused by the person under him. It was just inconceivable to him tht someone else would be in these tunnels.  
“Who are you?” He says, his hand too busy pushing himself back up to see.  
“My there. Getting a bit feisty there, I must say.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Okay Matt, how did you get down here?”  
“I fell in the toilet.”  
Oh yeah. Tord forgot about that one passage.  
“How did you- you know what nevermind just run.”  
“What? Why?”  
T minus one minute. Tord pulls him to his feet and shoves him. “Because we'll die if you don't! Hurry!”  
They made it to the dead end with thirty seconds to spare. Tord pushes up, seemingly randomly, and hisses when nothing happens.  
He jumps again when Tom, next to him, wraps his arms around his chest, shivering badly.  
“Please don't tell me we're stuck here. Please oh god.”  
Tord shakes his head and pushes a place slightly more to the right, and sighs in relief when light swamps the tunnel, the door opening once again like a manhole cover, into the street outside, in his base’s yard.  
Tom scrambles out, almost pushing Tord out of the way, and stands a few meters away, staring at the hole, white and shaking so hard he had to sit down.  
Tord was scared sure, but he didn't understand Toms overwhelming fear. He walked over and sat next to him.  
Five seconds.  
He hesitated for a second, then decided not to ask questions and just hugged him. To his surprise, Tom whimpered and pulled away. “Please don't.”  
“Are you scared of the dark?”  
“No…” he looks away. “I'm claustrophobic. Usually I can stand it, but with our lives on the line…”  
He lays down, arms out, as though trying to spread out as much as possible. Tord watched him, then glanced quickly at the building, hearing the fire roar. The temperature skyrocketed, enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to injure. Or maybe that was just the armor protecting them.  
Tord watched, the walls red hot, and heard screams. Lots of them.  
Matt came over, looking worried. “How much of your army was in there?”  
“I… don't know.” But he had a way to check. He looked at the screen on his arm, and saw the numbers of people in his army drop.  
He still had over a million and a half, but the numbers were dropping.  
They shouldn't be dropping this much. Most of them were in other countries. He searched quickly through their history, and surely enough, a lot of them had teleported there a couple minutes before the attack. What was going on?  
Matt looked over his shoulder. “I saw the message that said to meet here. Maybe they saw that and thought it'd be a good time to come.”  
Turns out mass murder turned him sober. Tord glances quickly at him when his words register. “What-” he stares for a moment. Matt was looking really red, and his eyes were drooping. “Matt? Matt no-”  
He caught Matt as he passed out and laid him gently on the grass. “Oh no. Pat-” he turns to look at Patryck, who looks scared out of his mind, hands clenched in his hair, kneeling down.  
“Pat? Patryck. PATRYCK!” Patryck doesn't respond, and Tord crawls over to him on his knees, dragging Matt along, then backhanded him.   
Paul and Patrycks armor were designed to protect from large pain, but small pain still registered, and Patryck Falls sideways, hand to his face. He looks up at Tord, then sits up, on his knees, head down.  
“I need you to take Matt away! The heat’s too strong for him, he doesn't have our protection!” Patryck stares at him, blank eyed for a moment, then shakes his head, picks up Matt, and walks silently off.  
Tord stares after him, then crawls back over to Tom. “Tom are you okay?”  
“Is Matt?”  
Tord glances at where Patryck lays him down, at the edge of the parking lot. “He should be. I'm more worried about Patryck. We need to get in there, find Paul. Patryck might- I don’t know how he’ll function without him. They’re attached at the hip, if something happens to one of them…”  
Tom nods. “Yeah, I get it.”  
Patryck is just standing, staring at Matt, so Tord walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder. The fire stopped, and the cooldown procedure began. Patryck turns around and looks at Tord, then at the base. “Can we go find him?”  
“Pa- Yeah. In a minute. We have to wait till after the procedure finishes.”  
Patryck stares blankly at the base, then starts to move toward it. Tord jerks toward him. “Wait no, you can't yet-”  
“I'm not going in there, idiot! I'm not stupid. I'm getting ready for when it's done. I need to see him. I need to know he made it… out…”  
Patryck puts his hand on the metal wall, only distantly feeling the sting of heat, mouthing Paul's name and takes a step back.  
“Why couldn't you stop it?”  
“Because the security system was overridden! I didn't have time!”  
Patryck stepped toward him and grabbed him by the jacket, using his height as an advantagtage and holding him up slightly.  
Immediately Tord knew Patryck was blaming him, and realized he might be in some real danger.  
“That's bullshit! The smartest inventor in all the world, hell, the leader of the entire world, taken over by a simple virus? I don't believe you. Surely you had some way to-”  
Tord grabbed his wrist, looking him dead in the eye. Sympathy for Patryck was one thing. But attacking the leader was another entirely. Especially since it wasn't his fault.  
“Let go.”  
“If you hadn't sent him off, he'd be just fine! But now he could've DIED, and-”  
“This is your last chance, Pat. Let go.”  
“You can't tell me you had NO way to override without-”  
Tord twisted his wrist, jumping when Patryck fell a little, and trying to pin him down. But Patryck knew his tricks, and kneeled, swinging his leg around and tripping Tord up. Tord jumped away as soon as he could, and tried to put Patryck into a headlock with his robotic arm.   
With how fast the fight was going, Tord couldn’t get out his gun.  
Tord finally got the upper hand when Patryck slipped at the wrong time, and grabbed both his wrists. He pinned Patryck down with his knee digging in the middle of his back.  
“You don't attack me, no matter what you feel!” He shouted at Patryck, who struggled against his hold.  
“You let my partner die for your own selfish gains!”  
“Maybe I did! I let a lot of people die! Why should I care about one more?”  
In his anger, Tord didn't watch his words, and though he immediately regretted it he didn't take it back.  
Patryck went limp, not struggling anymore. “I can't believe it.” Patryck whispered, then shut his eyes, struggling against the urge to cry.  
Tord stood and yanked him to his feet, not letting go of his wrists. “Now listen to me. We're going in there, and we will look for him. But whether or not we find him, you're not going to attack me again, and you're not going to take stupid risks.  
And I want to see you in my office after.” He pushes Patryck forward, then turns around to Tom, who stared in horror and amazement at the two advanced fighters.  
“Tom, bring Matt to the medbay, and hope there are still doctors left. Patryck and I are going to search the base, then I'll take care of him and call a meeting. I want you there, so make sure to come, no matter how Matt is.”  
As though the name woke him, Matt groans and turns over, opening his eyes. “Owwww ow ow what happened?”  
Ton jogged over and kneeled next to him. “You okay?”  
“And now I remembered what happened, and haha.” He laughs wheezily. “No, not really. I'm burning all over please help me.”  
Tom picks him up, wincing at his groans, and runs inside the building when Tord opens the door. Tord follows, Patryck in silence behind.  
“You look in the east side, I'll look in the west. Meet in my office in less than fifteen minutes, and I'll tell you what I've found.”  
They walk in then hear a commotion at both the entrances to the underground. Tord runs to the one on his side and is swamped by people, clad in green or black, rushing out of the tunnels. Tord looked but couldn't find a single one of his soldiers, and chased after the group. They converged with another group at the door, then rushed out.  
Tord was already preparing plans for bombing them when he saw him.  
Bound, gagged, and steaming, Paul was carried on their shoulders. His body was red, his clothes charred (they got protection from the armor as well, but only minimally.) and the heat was apparent. Not only that, he was unconscious, and his head lolled as he was carried along.  
Tord pulled out his gun and shot at them, taking a couple down, but only a couple fell while the rest piled into cars, quickly driving off. Tord stares after them, unable to believe it.  
They really screwed them over. How did this happen? With all of his security measures- how had they even started it in the first place?!  
But enough of that, he had to deal with Patryck now. With a sigh, he turned around and was startled seeing Patryck on his knees, staring after Paul. His gun lay forgotten on the ground, tears forgotten in his eyes. He suddenly grins. “A-at least he’s not- dead.” He puts a hand on his chest, in a clawed shape, as though trying to rip out his heart.  
“No. But you're about to be.” Tord says, grabbing him by the shoulder and dragging him. “Come on. I've got to deal with your stupidity now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is sad.  
> My friend left today.  
> I'll never see him again.  
> It won't really sink in until I try to make plans with him.  
> I wonder how many times I'll bike by his house this summer?
> 
> Alright alright I'm done.


	69. Tord is Legitimately Insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooop for sadism.  
> Driven by anger of course.   
> But still sadism.

Tom meets them in the room a few minutes later to witness a tense exchange full of staring.  
He raises a hand, as though in middle school. “Should I ask what's going on or go ahead and tell you how Matts doing?”  
Tord shushes him then growls at Patryck, who kneels down obediently, “I really should kill you right now. Nobody attacks me like that. NO ONE!”  
Patryck doesn't even wince.  
“What the hell was wrong with you?”  
“Why don't I try killing Tom and seeing how you like it?” Patryck says quietly.  
Tom backs away. “Alright I'll take that as my cue to leave…”  
“No Tom. Tell me what you need to.”  
Tom hesitates. “Allllll right. Uh, Matt is fine, his condition is stable, he has burns als over but it's not bad enough even to scar. The worst thing was apparently the heat to his head. Also don't kill Patryck.”  
Tord glares at him. “I won't, but why not?”  
“Eh because… I mean, his anger is reasonable and he's your second in demand and valuable so…”  
Tord smirks at him. “Yeah I know. Guess what my internal conflict is?”  
Tom feels like he should ask, but is a little creeped out (and just the tiniest bit scared) by the way Tord stalks toward him.  
“Uhhhhh what?”  
Tord is in front of him in a flash and lifts his chin with a finger to look up at him.  
“Well you see Tom. This man has tried to attack me. And he was attacking with the intent to make me submit to his anger.” His smile widens into a crazed grin, pupils shrinking, and Tom shivers. He was insane. And insanely scary right now.  
“Tord-”  
“I don't submit to anyone. I want to cut him up, I want to flog him. I want to see him in pain. And then I want to kill him. But-”  
He steps back, grin hardening a little.  
“However much it might help my reputation, I have to think about who he is as well. He's my highest soldier. My smartest. Part of this army basically runs off of him. Not only that, but if I lose him I lose Paul too. So I have to keep him sane and keep him alive. How Tom? How do I punish him?”  
Tom swallows. He was glad that anger wasn't directed at him.  
Even back when it used to be, it wasn't anger but teasing. Well, after he destroyed the robot he was pretty mad.   
In fact, he was angrier than he was now. But even then, he didn't seem this terrifying.  
“Maybe I should leave Paul where he is. Maybe then P-”  
“NO!” Patryck gives his first response, other than staring into the distance. He stands up, fists clenched. “Do whatever you have to to me, but don't-”  
Tord darts behind him, and in seconds Patryck is on the ground, Tord pinning him down by the throat, with his robotic hand. “I'm in charge, drittsekk.” Patryck glares at him, but eventually looks away, and chokes out, “Yes, sir.”  
Tord steps back, releasing him. “Again, it has the same consequences as just killing him outright.”  
He paces. “You know what? It's not really you I'm mad at. You'll still be punished. But it's Edd. Don't get me wrong, I'm mad he took Paul too. But Tom, I really want to kill him now. Forget him taking me in, I should've been left to die on the streets. Then I wouldn't have killed so many… people…”  
He staggers, then falls against his desk, muttering, “the bloods… gone” before passing out. Patryck stares stonily as Tom rushes forward and grabs Tord before he hit the floor. “What's wrong with him?!?”  
“His lack of feeling. He should care, he knows how I feel.”  
Tom shakes his head. “There's no reasoning with him. You know that.” Patryck sighs, looking away. “Yeah, more than you ever could.”  
Tom glances at him quickly. “What do you mean? Here, help me carry him-” Patryck sighs and hesitates, but he helps carry Tord to the hospital wing. There was only one doctor at the moment, tons of patients taking up the rooms otherwise. In fact, it seemed like a third of the entire base was taking up the wing. Some even had to lay outside. Tom stares at them as he walks in, some with gunshot wounds, some just green and shivering. Some all three.  
“What happened? I get the burns, but…”  
Patryck looks just as mystified as Tom. Doctors see them carrying Red leader in and immediately clear out a room, laying him on the bed and sticking him with an IV, two things most of the patients didn't even get.   
“Is he hurt?! Please tell me he was hurt somewhere!” One of the doctors starts panicking and is told to leave. He does, and Tom looks at the other doctor. “What’s he talking about?”  
“Ahh, see, if he's not physically injured then it could be whatever is ailing most of the other soldiers. Some sort of disease outbreak, and it's not one we know how to cure. It doesn't affect a couple people, but a lot have been bad like this. Our labs are working on finding a cure, but half of that staff has been affected as well. It's really bad.”  
Tom is shaking now. “And what does it do to them?”  
“Well, no one has died yet, but our first affected is in a really bad condition. I'm not gonna lie, I don't think she'll make it.”  
Tom paces once, then turns, then looks at the doctor. “I'm gonna, uh, stand. Outside. Right there. Yeah.”  
He walks out of the room and stands outside, biting his knuckle in fear. Ha, he and Patryck were on the same page now. Both of their partners in danger. Tord wasn't rescuable though. Tom walked back in and motioned Patryck to come with him. Patryck walked out, and Tom asked him, “Can I take over while he's out of commission?”  
Patryck nods uncertainly. “I guess so, you're his second in command.”   
Tom nods and paces. “Alright, I say for now your punishment is revoked because that was stupid. It was stupid for you to attack him too, though. It's not his fault, it's Edds. So first order of business, get as many doctors and scientists as possible to find out about this stupid thing. Hey-”  
He holds up a hand against Patrycks protest. “Second order is to get as many people as possible to make a search party.”  
Patryck nods. “Hurry up, what else? We need to order this as fast as possible.”  
“After we do that gather everyone for an emergency meeting. Somewhere else, let's say, the parking lot of that mall in the main city.” Meaning, of course, London.  
“Okay want me to get it done?”  
“Yes. Doctors first, that affects a lot of our army- oh, also.” He holds up his finger in an authoritative way. “You can't go with the rescue party.”  
“You said search party. But why?”  
“Shut up. Because you'll mess up, you're too scared right now.” Patryck rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath, making Tom roll his eyes. “Yes, you are scared. You'll screw up if you go.”  
Patryck glares at him, but Tom knows he knows he's right.  
“Hurry!” He says, shoving Patryck. Pat quickly pulls up a hologram screen and sends a notice to invade the hospitals and labs for doctors and lab technicians. He tells them to not bring them here, the unaffected people will teleport them one by one. He organized another group and sent them to the Green Revolt base, a big group to dish them some of their own medicine, and a small group to ferry out Paul.  
Patryck paced back and forth, chewing his nail. “We can't go to the group, what if we're infected but just unaffected?”  
Tom thought for a moment. “Holograms? Pull an Edd?”  
“However much I hate him at the moment, I have to admit it is pretty brilliant. However, do you have a hologram of us, or know how to make one?”  
Tom sighed. “Alright, point taken. So just a video then?”  
Patryck suddenly widened his eyes and grinned at Tom, the first happy face he'd made since Pall was taken.  
“Come with me, I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeeee there will be plot twists in the forseeable future. Not no ones. Well, some big ones. But plot twists yaaaaaayyyyy


	70. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeee

“Wait, this was my idea!! You said we didn't have the technology.”  
Patryck shrugs. “I forgot. We all forget things sometimes.”  
Two holograms of themselves stand in front of them, fully functional. Tom sighs, facepalming, and his counterpart copies him. “Fine, send them to the mall parking lot.” Tom sighs.   
“Okay.” The holograms fizzle away, and Tom puts on the headset that lets him control it. He looks around, over the crowd of soldiers with more showing up.   
He pushed his worry for Tord to the back of his mind. He'd be fine, as long as Tom kept a clear head. He took a breath then picked up a microphone. Did that even work with holograms?  
“Hello everyone!”  
Yep, yep it did.  
Everyone goes quiet, looking up at the stage, then starts murmuring, asking where Tord was.   
“I've called in a state of emergency. Red leader is- will be-”  
Patruck whispers in his ear. “We need them to think he's okay.”  
“He's busy at the moment, and asked me to address what has happened. A si knead has spread over the base. We are now quarantining the entire compound, because we don't know if the virus is still floating around. We have called everyone available to find a cure. In other news, our army has been depleted.”  
He had an idea, and he thought Tord would like it.  
‘If he ever got better.’ His mind told him. ‘Shut up’  
“So we will be holding a draft in America for capable soldiers.” Aahhh this was scary, standing in front of a sea of people, watching and judging him. He felt himself start to sway, but Patryck put a comforting hand on his back, keeping him subtly steady.  
“Uh, understood?” He was higher than all of them, after all. There was a moment of silence, then a gradual “Yes sir!” From the crowd.  
He started to back away nervously but Patryck took the mic and nearly shouted “He said, ‘do you understand!!’”   
“Yes sir!” It came louder and more sure, and Patryck nodded and set down the mic. They made their holograms teleport away, then took off the headsets.   
“That was scary.” Tom set his down on the desk. They were hiding out in Tords room. Well, he was. He suddenly realized that Patryck wasn't there, but his headset shook as if it had just been dropped there. Tom looked around quickly. “Pat?”  
His eyes widened. “Oh no.”  
He'd gone after Paul. Tom teleported quickly to the meeting point, but they'd already left. “Ahhh no no no no!”  
He teleported back to base, and paved around Tords office.  
Tord. He needed to see how his leader was doing.  
He teleported to the hospital wing and frantically asked a startled nurse for the hospital T- Red Leader had been teleported to.   
“H-he hasn't been teleported yet.”  
Tom ran to his room and slammed open the door, where they were preparing him to move. He asked again, where he would be moved to.  
“The highest hospital in Tokyo. He'll be safe there, we promise.” Tom shook his head. “Let me come with him.”  
They glance at each other. “We need permission to do that…”  
He stepped forward angrily, slamming his hand on the table, scattering a couple capped syringes. “I AM HIS SECOND IN COMMAND! You let me come or I will make sure he kills you himself!”  
They nod quickly and tell him the room number should he mis-teleport, and suddenly they all look at Tord as he groans. He's covered in sweat, all blood gone from his face. His fists clench and he grits his teeth as though in pain. His next breath sounds labored, then he settles again, relaxed but still in pain.  
“HURRY UP!!! Why are you just standing around??” Tom shouts at the doctors, who scurry to set him up then teleport him. Tom teleports, to the right place, and watches them set up. Panic was overcoming him now, and he snapped at them to check on the labs.  
They quickly get back to him, telling him they haven't found a solution yet. Tom paces back and forth.  
Oh.  
That's why Tord did that, where he walked back and forth. It was a way to relieve agitation. He texted Patryck, but got no response.  
Meanwhile, Patryck was stressing about as much. Except he could actually do something about it. He ran through the hallway of the Green Revolt base, shooting anyone dead that stood in he hallway, other than his group, trailing behind him. Unfortunately for him, and his vengeful bloodlust, there was not many people there, as they were mostly fighting the big group attacking the base head on.  
He texted Paul for the thousandth time, asking where he was, if he was okay, what to do. And for the thousandth time, there was no response.  
And for the thousandth time, the error popped up, message not sent, caller ID not found. Patryck tries to turn his fear to anger. It works.  
He brought out a device that turned into a flamethrower. He'd dish them a taste of their own medicine.  
He tripped over something on the ground, and looks behind them. Why was there a handle on the ground?  
Patryck grins, part hopefulness and part cold anger.  
He grabs the handle and ripped it upward, opening into a room that led to a large tunnel.  
He quickly jumped down and went into the tunnel, looking around. He winces as lights flashed on suddenly, filling the dim tunnel with bright, harsh light. He held a hand up to his eyes in confusion, then hears a man's voice.  
“Nice to meet you, Patryck. Care to join us?”  
And a cloth went over his mouth, chlorophyll filling his lungs.  
And he was out like a lightbulb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEEEEEEEE FOR PLOT TWISTS  
> My work shift is taking sooooo loooong. And it's only four hours.


	71. Fear and Stress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys. I finished this at midnight, it might be bad writing.  
> I'm so tired.  
> But I couldn't finish this during the day because I was busy today.   
> Also, I changed the "anime con" series I had started to one shots, and will update that every once in a while. Check it out if you want, it only has two chapters, and only one of them is new. So far.

Tom spend the next day teleporting from his bed, to Tords hospital bed, to Tords office, and back. He couldn't get his fear out, couldn’t relax for a second. He thought if he did, someone might die, someone important. Not only that, he had to run the army now. He used Tords hologram desk and constantly got notifications about new recruits, small rebellions, and a ton of things he didn't know how to deal with.  
According to the doctors, Tord did have whatever was affecting the rest of the soldiers. They'd had to take off his armor, with Toms help (as he knew how), and did the best they could to keep him stable.   
The sickness had spread among the army, and Tom had no idea how. The base was quarantined, the sick ones were stuck in hospitals. Not only that, Patryck hadn't come back from getting Paul, and Tom hadn't heard word from anyone with that group.  
Tom was starting to freak out. Without Tord in charge, it seemed everything was falling apart. Tom was starting to get constant anxiety, and it was getting harder to act calm. He'd already turned to his monster form twice, both times close enough to lock himself in the room with his changing fingers before he went insane.  
Tom was messing with the hologram, fingers tapping, before he got two messages, almost simultaneously. He quickly pulled up the one from the labs first, looking for any news of a cure. He shivered. It was a lead, they had found someone that recovered from the sickness, and were comparing his blood tests to see what had caused it.   
Tom almost collapsed from hopeful relief. He quickly messaged them, a note of urgency. Not that they needed it.  
He then went to the other message, and all his relief disappeared, replaced with dread.  
It was from “Black Market Revolution”. Yep, here was where he fell apart.  
He opened it with shaking fingers, hoping for news about Paul or Patryck, but also dreading it.  
Turns out his dread was a better feeling. They were asking for a ransom. Well, they were also dishing a threat. 

Hey there Tom.

We've heard about your leader. Sorry for your loss!   
In other words, as you may have guessed, we have his two accomplices. It was quite easy, as one of them is in critical condition and the other was reckless with worry.  
Not to worry, they're not dead. One of them is about to be, but let’s look on the bright side, yes?  
Your rescue attempt was cute, but the only way you're getting them back alive is if you give us back our control. We're not even asking for all of the world! Just America, Russia?  
Time to see what you care about more, Tom. Your leaders plan, or your friends.  
If we don't get a response within the next twelve hours, we will fill them with bullets.   
Good luck!

Black Market Revolution.

Tom passed out by the second paragraph. He came to a couple minutes later, and took a break before reading the rest. He was shaking all over, and closed it out quickly.  
He needed Paul and Patryck back. But giving away half the world? The strongest half?  
That was crazy. Either way, Tord would kill him. He'd probably kill himself first, if he was stressed enough.  
He teleported quickly to Tords bed again, hoping for the thousandth time that he was awake. He wasn't.  
Tom turned to teleport away again, then jumped and knocked over a rolling table full of different vials when Tord yelled suddenly. His back arched, and a couple seconds later his mouth shut with almost an audible “clack”, fists clenched and face tensed with pain. Suddenly his eyes opened, and his back straightened again. He quickly twisted and he vomited over the side of the bed, right on the floor.   
Tom was scared. But it seemed like Tord was awake. He stepped forward, but far enough away from the line of fire for throw up. Tords eyes drifted over to him, but they were glazed over, unfocused.   
“Tord? Can you help me please?”  
“Mama?”   
Toms eyes widened. Oh, he was hallucinating.  
“No, it's Tom.”  
“Is… papa home?” He was whispering, and he looked away, eyes rolling a little. “I don't want him… to be.”  
Tom took a step forward and put a hand on his shoulder, flinching when Tord whacked his hand away, sitting up as though about to fight him. He stared at Tom for a moment, then whispered “Tom”. He lay back down, staring at the ceiling.   
“Tord please. I need your help-”  
Tord closed his eyes slowly, and Tom stepped forward and shook his shoulder, but he was already out again.  
Tom shook, but knew what he was going to do. Even if Tord hated him for it. He teleported to the office and pulled up the hologram again, sending a message to the Black Market Revolution first, then to the army.

From Red Leader.

All troops must pull out of America and Russia.   
This is an order of retreat, to be followed immediately with threat of death. This is not to cause fear. We will have new orders soon, and it will be followed with strict obedience.

He thought it sounded “Tord” enough. He sent it out, then waited restlessly for word back from the Black Market.   
The world map with everyone’s tracker showed a mass disappearance from the two largest countries, and Tom sighed with relief.  
Until he read the message he got back, that he read with feverish intensity. 

Hey there Tom.  
Nice! I like it. It's a good start. Oh, sorry, did you think you'd be getting your friends back now? Nah, we have a couple more requests.  
China, Japan, and Canada. Then, well, we have one more request. Hand yourself over. Then we'll leave all of you alone, we’ll even let your friends go!  
Again, need our response in under twelve hours, that shouldn't be too hard.

Tom stares at it in disbelief. How had he not expected this? He must be the most gullible person in the world. He held his breath for a minute, then paced again. He had really fallen for something like that. He couldn't believe it.  
Looks like he would have to do it. Not give them the countries, not hand himself over. Well, it wouldn't be handing himself over as long as they didn't catch him.  
Luckily for Tom, Tord- with his brilliant mind- had somehow gotten a full blueprint of the Green Revolt base, including the underground tunnel system.   
Time for Tom to invade. By winging it. Always the best plan.  
He left a note, in case they found a cure and Tord got cured before Tom got back- if he did.  
Tom folded it and left it on his chair, closed the door and went back outside, and into the tunnels.  
And immediately his claustrophobia kicked in. He forgot about that. He'd been locked in a closet once for a day and a half, because his parents forgot he was there. Not neglect or anything, just didn't know where he was. He hadn't been able to pass out though, and had barely been able to breathe. Torture for a day, then the door opened, letting him out. It happened when he was nine, and he'd hated small spaces ever since.  
So this was going to be hard. But he couldn't be stupid, he had to keep as clear a head as he could. Heart pounding, he made his way forward. The tunnel connected to a sewer system, which connected to the Green Revolt tunnels. By the time Tom reached the entrance to the sewer tunnels, he was drenched with sweat from the adrenaline and the larger spaces, bad smell or no, were a blessing.  
He teleported every ten feet, trying his best to remember the blueprint. He had near photographic memory, but it was hard to remember when he was panicking like he was.   
Half an hour later he reached the Green Revolt base. The tunnels were slightly smaller than the Red base tunnels, and Tom's eyes went white at the thought. He had three rooms to check. Without getting caught. And he had to do it all underground. Without getting caught.  
He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. But Tord needed him, and Paul and Patryck did too. He waited a few minutes, heart still pounding, then takes a deep breath.  
And crawls in the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late guys.


	72. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorryyy this is a day late I was so busy the past couple days.  
> But  
> Here's a yay of sarcasm. Yay.  
> I get my wisdom teeth out today.

He crawled through the tunnels, holding his breath a couple times before realizing and gasping for breath. He couldn't stand the small tunnels, but he didn't have a choice. He followed them for a little while, then reached his first room.   
It was a holding room for prisoners. The second room he was going to try was the interrogation room, and the third was the prison.  
Tom pushed lightly against the hatch above him, and it moved easily, without a sound. He peeked out, and held it an inch open, waiting for a reaction. When there was none, he pushed it open a little more, and poked his head out a little. There was no one in there. The room was empty.  
Tom quickly ducked back under, and whimpered. More crawling.   
He yelped and hit his head on the ceiling when a spider fell on his face, and whacked it off. He stared at his hand, then sighed with relief. Just a spider. He was worried it had been something worse, like rock dust as the tunnel was collapsing-  
He changed his train of thought quickly, worried he was going to pass out.   
He went as quickly as possible to the second room, the interrogation room. This one was in the back corner of the room, invisible to all but those who knew it was there. Tom, despite his want to get out, hesitated before opening it. This one creaked a little.   
Turned out it wasn't a problem. The shouting covered all other sounds. He almost dropped the door on his head. Patryck and Paul were tied to chairs, and both had a bandage wrapped around their heads. Paul, however, was slumped over, red all over his body, skin peeling. And overall just looking horrible, his breaths short, labored, and far inbetween. He looked like he was dying.  
And Patryck clearly knew it. He struggled against his bonds and shouted to be let out, to get Paul help, to be let go, cursing the people that were holding him.  
It was horrible. Tom looked around quickly, but didn't see anyone else, so he got out of the tunnel and put his hand over his heart, gasping in relief. He hated that.  
Patryck suddenly quieted, as though hearing him. Tom quickly whispered “No, keep going. Is anyone coming?”  
Patryck whispered back. “No, I don't think anyone's nearby.”  
“Then why the hell were you shouting?”  
“Because it pissed off the guards. They left. Couldn't gag us for whatever reason.”  
Tom winces. “So… I'm here to get you out, because they were ransoming you.”  
“How’a Red Leader?”  
Tom winces. “Ask later.” He took out his pocketknife, but it wasn't sharp enough to get through the ropes. He sighed. “Great. Have a better idea?”  
“No, but I have a better knife. Probably.”  
Tom glanced at him. “Great, where is it?”  
“My pocket.”   
“Oh come on. Which one?”  
“These pants only have front pockets genius. The right one.”  
Tom reached in and grabbed it, then tried it on the ropes.   
They snapped almost as soon as the knife touched it.  
“Where'd you get this?!”  
“Red Leader made it. Surprised?”  
“No.” Tom cut the rest of the ropes, then looked at his hands. “Uh…”  
“Yeah I know, I can deal till I get my lock pick back.”  
Tom looked away from the handcuffs, at Paul.  
“So… do I have to carry him?”  
“I suppose so.” Patryck looks worried. “I don't know if… the armor could only help so much against heat. Unfortunately, I think it's melted to his skin. He should have gotten h-help a long time ago.”  
Tom glanced at him when his voice cracked, but didn't say anything. “I'll get him.”  
He cuts the rope off him as well, and picks him up. “What will they do if they find you gone?”  
“It depends, what were they holding us ransom for?”  
“Uhh… they wanted to get rid of our control of the world.”  
“Wait- what did you do?”  
“I made everyone retreat from America and Russia before I realized they were going to kill you anyway.”  
“Hmm. They played it smart.”  
Tom looked back at the hole, the unforgiving tunnel. “I don't want to go back in there.”  
“Well you have to. You can go behind me, since you'll be carrying Paul. Let's hope they don't flood these tunnels, eh?”  
He laughs at Tom's terrified look and hops in. Tom picks up Paul, grunting a little at the weight, and hops down awkwardly, closing the trapdoor quickly. He nodded to Patryck, already sweating from fear, and Patryck raced off. He chased after him, occasionally shouting which way to go. They made it past the prisoners holding room, then Patryck suddenly stopped, and Tom crashed into him, falling with Paul in his lap. “WHY’D YOU STOP?!?” He whisper shouts, voice high-pitched. He looks around Patryck and sees…  
A metal door, blocking their way. Sirens sound, making Tom jump. “It looks like the way is blocked. They’re probably gonna flush us out somehow. Maybe literally.” Patryck says, matter of factly. He turns around and sees Tom swaying.  
That's all Tom could remember before he passed out.  
When he came to later, he was being carried by Patryck, fiery wreckage everywhere. They were out in the open, and Patryck was limping. Tom opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but pain flooded his body and he shouted in pain before passing out again.  
He comes to in the hospital wing. He's numb all over, but he can tell when he moves that he has bandages around his chest and upper arms. He sits up slowly, then realizes he's not alone. “Hi Patr-” he gasps.  
“Yeah, don't talk. Something punctured your lung.”  
Tom nodded quickly, hand to his chest. “They got it out. But you still have to heal. Luckily, and you don't know about this, but we have replicated a solution that the doctor that amputated Tord’s arm used, which quickens the healing and numbs the pain. They're preparing it to be used on you.”  
“G-good.” Tom tries not to breathe too hard.  
A few minutes later the doctor walks in, and seeing him awake, nods politely. “I don't need to put you under for this, it might sting a little when it's exposed.”   
Tom just nods, still trying not to breathe. The doctor carefully unwraps his bandages and pulls out a vial, dripping it into a gash in his chest. There were cuts and scrapes all over one side of his body, but the one in his chest was the worst. He winced, but then the pain seemed to melt away, and he could breathe again.  
“Thanks. What happened??”  
Patryck looks sorta smug. “Well, you passed out, and so I had to do things the hard way. I couldn't carry both of you easily, especially without my hands, so I uh. Ripped my hand out of the handcuff.”  
He holds up a hand, bandaged. “It looked a lot worse before, pretty sure I tore a couple things and dislocated my thumb. The skin looked bad too, and some of it is still on the-”  
“Okay gross and painful, got it. Go on?”  
“So I piggybacked Paul, by tying his arms and legs around me, then I carried you, exploded the door, and part of the tunnel caved in because of that. So I ran up and came here. I hijacked one of their cars and they couldn't find me, cause trust me they were looking.”  
Tom nodded. Then shivered. He was in a tunnel that collapsed. “You weren’t scared at all?”  
“I mean. The only thing I was worried about was when I realized you were stabbed, and Paul.” He looks unconsciously out the door. “My hand was hurting pretty bad too.”  
Tom stares at him. “Even though the tunnel could have collapsed on you, or you could've drowned if they flooded them, or-”  
“You're claustrophobic?”  
“Shut up. Yes. No space to breathe-”  
“I was breathing just fine.”  
“That's not the point. Thanks for getting us out.”  
Patryck bowed.  
“So… how long was I out?”  
“About four hours.”  
“Has… how is… Tord?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo looking forward to having holes drilled in my mouth.


	73. Tord is Dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love pain.  
> And awkward situations. Lol.

Patryck looks away, not answering. Tom sits up, and the doctor yelps, making him lay down again. “I need to rewrap your bandages!”  
“Well hurry up then!” Tom snaps at him, then looks at Patryck. “Tell me how he is! Did you visit him?!”  
“Yes. He's… they haven't made a cure yet. They have one being made, but it'll take at least twenty four hours. Maybe another half day.”  
Tom clenched the bed sheets and sat up again. “I didn't ask about the fucking cure. I asked how Tord is.”  
The doctor sighs and finishes wrapping, then lets him know and walks out.  
Patryck waits till he's gone. “He's not doing well. The sickness has gotten worse.”  
Tom stares at him, as though waiting for a verdict.  
“I don't know if he'll make it until the cure is made.”  
Tom stood up and looked around for a shirt, then gave up and glared at Patryck. “I'm going.”  
“Take me. I don't have my teleporter.”  
Tom growls at him, then grabs his hand and teleports right outside Tord’s room. He hesitates before walking in.   
Two doctors stand on either side of him, one of them messing with the IV and the other calculating something. They both look over as he and Patryck walk in. “We’re not taking visit-”  
“Shut up. I'm not a visitor.”  
The doctor recognizes him and quiets, then goes back to her IV.  
Tord looked horrible. Sweat covered his body, he was pale as a sheet, even looking slightly green. His breathing was labored, and his heart monitor beeped slightly slower than it should have been.  
Tom felt on the edge of losing control. He couldn't deal with this. After everything he did to bring back Paul and Patryck, he still might have to lose…  
He crouches by the bed and rests his head on Tord’s thigh. He'd been confirmed immune, but he felt the selfless urge to take Tord’s place right now. Patryck just watched, not speaking.  
There was a moment of silence.  
Then the heart monitor picked up a little, and he opened his eyes. “T… om…” he whispered, and Tom scooted over to by his face.  
“Yeah?”  
“What…” he looks around, then his eyes start to slide shut again.  
“No nono please Tord. Stay awake.”  
Eyes half closed, Tord whispers “Why…?” Then is out again.  
Tom stares at him in dismay. “No no wake up. If you're awake you're not… dead.”  
But the heart monitor still beeped resolutely.   
“He's dying.” Tom says, staring at him.  
Patryck nods.  
“Yeah. He is.”   
Tom feels his emotions starting to choke him up, and he stands up, bending over Tord.  
“Oh come on.” Patryck sighs and looks away as Tom kisses him. Quickly, and he stands up, striding out of the room. Patryck turns to follow him, then his eyes widen.  
That stride.  
It copied Tord's almost exactly.  
Patryck hurries to catch up, and Tom snaps at him, not even looking back. “How's Paul?”  
Patryck winces. “They're using the same thing on him, but he'll be out for another couple hours.”  
“Take me to him.”  
“I don't have a teleporter.”  
“Fine, then tell me where it is to the best of your ability.”  
Patryck lists the hospital and room number. Tom grabs his hand and takes him. They march into Paul's room, and Patryck stands at the door, watching him for a couple minutes. Then he steps forward, and grabs Paul's hand, watching the dead skin fall. He was still red, but his skin was slowly starting to heal, thanks to the ointment they'd put on it.  
“They took hours to get his armor off. I was right, it had melted to his skin. I was worried he would be dead before they could help him, but even though he has a minor infection he's okay. The armor may have melted to him, but it saved his life.”  
Tom stands patiently by the door as Patryck slowly stroked Paul's arm, head leaned on the bed. After a little bit, he stood up and looked at Tom.  
“What now, sir?”  
Tom nodded. “Back to h- the office. We have work to do.”   
Pateyck nods. “If you don't mind I'm going to get a teleporter for myself. I'll be back.”  
Tom nods, and teleports them to Tords office, then Patryck walks out. He pulls up the hologram, trying to keep away from his oncoming depression. He's always had it, but he could tell it was about to get a hundred times worse, especially without Tord there.  
He put his head in his hands, then went to Tords music. He'd figured out by now how to find it.  
He played something random, “Wolf in sheeps clothing”, and mindlessly looked stuff up on the Internet.   
Then out of curiosity, he looked up Red Leader.  
Lots of pictures, lots of conspiracy theories. Some people actually thought he'd start up a sex slave trade. Lovely.  
Some people had leaked about Tom's monster self. He quickly looked up “Monster Tom”, and a few kinda low quality pictures popped up of his half monster form, and then there were drawings, and photoshop.  
And porn. He quickly clicked away and blushed. Stupid furries.  
He started laughing, and Patryck came in a couple seconds later. “What's so funny?”  
“There's so many fucking furries. And lots of pictures of my monster self, if you know what I mean.”  
Patryck rolls his eyes. “Trust me, I know. You become famous, you'll get some porn. There's some about Paul and I, sometimes we looks through it just for fun, and to see who cringes the most.”  
Tom stares at him. “That's gross.”  
“Only if we get off on it. Which we don't.”  
“That's even grosser. Just be quiet.”  
“We found some porn aboutyou and T- Red Leader, too.”  
Tom glares at him, and he holds up his hands in surrender. “Alright, shutting up now.”  
Tom sighs and notices a table hasn't looked at before.  
“Are you going to snoop?”  
“Why not?” Tom clicks on it, then blushes and clicks out. “Nevermind, found his hentai.”   
Patryck laughs. “I love it when people snoop.”  
“Alright then give me your phone.”  
“N-no.” Patryck puts his hand self consciously over his pocket, and Tom laughs. “That's what I thought. Alright, enough messing around. We have to reorganize. Send the troops back to America and Russia.”  
Patryck nods and texts out to the army, ordering certain sectors to do so.  
Tom pulls out his flask. It didn't matter how he needed to be focused, he would break down without a drink.  
Patryck notices but doesn't scold or criticize.  
It's not long before Tom starts crying. Patryck just rubs soothing circles into his back, not quite knowing how to deal with a drunk man.   
Tom passed out half an hour later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only kind of pain I don't like is irl, especially to myself.  
> Unless it's feels. In which case COME TO DADDY


	74. Tord Died for Real. But It's Okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVE SOME PAULTRYCK FLUFF  
> AND SOME TOMTORD FEELS  
> CANT WAIT FOR NEXT CHAPTER

Tom is hastily shaken awake a few hours later. It's obviously night, and he stands up quickly, waving his bottle around.  
Patryck, used to waking Tord up, easily evades. “Come on Tom!”  
Tom frowns warily. “Why?”  
“Just come on!”  
He looks excited, so Tom quits questioning him and just follows. Patryck suddenly grabs his hand and teleports.  
Right into Tord’s hospital room. Paul sits on the side of the bed, covered in bandages except his face, which is red and still peeling, but less noticeably.  
Tord sits up, still looking really sick, but awake.  
Tom takes a moment to assess the room, then runs forward and throws his arms around Tord (gently, when he remembers that he's still sick).  
Tord pats his back, then coughs violently, and Tom pulls away.  
“What's going on? Are you getting better?”  
“They made-” he coughs again, less harshly. “They made a cure. They had to defilibrate me.”  
Toms eyes widened. “You were… dead?”  
Tord nods. “But I'm g-getting better… now.”  
He puts a hand over his mouth, then vomits over the side of the bed. Paul quickly scoots away. Patryck had sat next to him and carefully put an arm over his shoulders, and scooted with him. Paul just snuggles into his side, and Patryck kisses his cheek. Paul pats his face in return, watching Tom and Tord.  
Tom helps clean his mouth with a cloth, then straddles him and carefully hugs him again. Tord puts an arm around him.  
“When will you g-get better-” Tord is startled when he hears Tom’s breath hitch, and feels him shaking, crying on his shoulder. He clutches his jacket, shivering. He had a fever. His eyes droop.  
“I'm gonna… fall asleep.” Tom shakes his head quickly. “No no no no don't do that.”  
Tears leak from under his eyepiece. “Stay awake, please.”  
Tord looks at him sleepily, then nods. “I'll try.”  
“When will you get better?”  
“It should take about a day to heal.”  
Tom nods. “Good enough, as long as you do.”  
Tord notices his bandages, as Tom is still shirtless. “What… happened?”  
“Oh, it's a kinda long story. They captured Paul, then Patryck ran after him and got himself caught as well.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at Patryck. “Stupid.”  
Patryck scratches his neck abashedly. “Yeah I know.”  
“Then I went to-” Tom shivers, remembering the right tunnels. “To save them. I got messaged that they were being held ransom for America and Russia. Which I gave, but they tricked me so I just went after them. You can read the messages later. But anyway so I crawled down the tunnels, then found their room, carried Paul. Then, uh…” he blushes, so Patryck continued.  
“He passed out when they blocked the tunnels. So I kinda destroyed my hand to get them out of the cuffs.” He shows Tord his bandaged and bloody hands. “Then I exploded the tunnel. Some of the shrapnel hit Tom. And I carried them both out. We came back here, they both healed. But uh, you were dying. And died, I guess.”  
Tord nods.  
“Tom got drunk, cried on me, then they contacted me a couple hours later and told me Paul was recovered enough to move around. So we supervised the troops going back into America and Russia, it went smoothly. And then they messaged me, told me you died. I came in when they brought you back, and they told me they had given you the first cure they'd made, been able to speed up the process. And that you were getting be- no no Tord don't do that.”  
Tord shakes his head, trying to keep his eyes open.  
Tom kisses him. Tord’s eyes widen, and he slowly cups his face and kisses him back. He suddenly pulls away and stares at Tom.  
“Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. I can't get you sick.”  
“You won't!” Tom said hurriedly. “I'm confirmed immune.”  
Tord stares at him a moment, then snickers. “Then you owe me for kissing me with a vomity mouth.” He kisses Toms again, using tongue. Tom makes a grossed out face.  
Tord slowly closes his eyes and falls asleep again, pulling away from Tom. Tom’s eyes widen, and he clutches Tords jacket nervously. “No. Nono no wake up. Aargh.” He walks into the hallway, looking for doctors. One stands outside, apparently waiting for them to leave. “Will he be okay?”  
“Yes, he is perfectly stable. He just has to wait for the cure to finish its affect.”  
Tom nods, going back in.  
Patryck, with Paul curled up in his lap, looks up at him. “Answer?”  
“He should be fine.” Tom still looks nervous. “I'm going to stay here. Can you two take charge of the military?”  
Paul looks up at Patryck, who nods. “Sure.” Tom nods affirmation and gazed down at Tord in worry.  
Patryck kisses Paul and picks him up, Paul blushing (but nobody can tell) and thumps his chest lightly. “Put me down.”  
Patryck sticks his tongue out teasingly and teleports away.  
Tom looks after them. He didn't want to be alone. But some light breathing from Tord tells him he isn't. He's not alone.  
Tom sets his head on Tord's chest. And hopefully he never would be.  
He had almost fallen asleep when Tord started muttering, high pitched panting. Tom jerks his head up in surprise. “Tord?”  
“Mama please no I'm sorry!”  
Nightmare. About his parents? Morbid curiosity makes Tom want to just wait.  
“Papa isn't home mama please!”  
He shakes Tords shoulder. Tord flinches away. “Mama mama I'm sorry-” he starts breathing faster. Tom shakes him again, and Tord’a eyes fly open, and he curls up a little before realizing where he was.  
“Oh. Good morning-” he clapped a hand to his head, woozy.  
“You were having a nightmare.” Tom states simply. Tord stares at him. “Wait- about what?”  
“You're feeling better?”  
“About what?!?”  
Tom hesitates, looking down. “About your parents, I think. You were pleading with your, uh, mom.”  
Tord glares at the ceiling, then looks Tom in the face. “You want to know what happened to me during my childhood.”  
It wasn't a question. Tom stares at him, and Tord sighs. “I guess it's only fair. Paul and Patryck know already. It's why I was in jail.”  
He sits up the bed with a remote, Tom still in his lap. Tord closes his eyes, preparing to relive his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND NOW YOU KNOW WHY I CANT WAIT TILL NEXT CHAPTER  
> Also guys I drew something. It's a really cool picture of Tord. If you want to see it, then lemme know in the comments. If I get more than four yeses, I'll post it in one of the next few chapters.  
> Also, sorry guys. Google docs changed autocorrect and made it even worse. I'll explain how in a comment, later, I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight.


	75. Incredibly Dark Backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme put all the warnings first.  
> CHILD ABUSE  
> EMOTIONAL ABUSE  
> PHYSICAL ABUSE  
> EVERYTHING ABUSE  
> EXCEPT SEXUAL BECAUSE NAH  
> REALLY REALLY DARK  
> MIGHT BE A HUGE TRIGGER WARNING  
> JUST SAYING  
> PANIC ATTACKS  
> BASICALLY SLAVERY I GUESS  
> MEMORY ERASER GUN WHOOP WHOOP  
> TORTURE
> 
> EVERYTHING  
> alright so yeah it's dark.  
> Just warning you. Other than backstory it's not all too important so if you want to skip you can.  
> Tord is basically narrator for most of the chapter.

“I don't know my real parents. They killed each other when I was only a year and a half old. I don't remember it. They did it because of me, they both wanted to divorce and got into an argument about who I'd live with.  
Don't remember it, don't really care. Except that living with them might have been better than living with my adoption parents.  
Well, I went to the foster home first. People were scared of me, because they all knew what happened. So they isolated me, and I spent most of my time alone. I tended to mess with things. I built toy cars. I think the coolest thing I did was fix the AC, since I was only three by the time I was… adopted.  
Tom, do me a favor. If I start to have a panic attack, hold me, and don't let me scream too much.  
Haha, thanks.  
P- my adoption dad physically- he beat me every day. Every time he came back from his job he'd beat me. That was his good morning, good night, his shut up and his answer me.  
Haha that was a bit poetic. Sorry, have to diffuse the tension a little.  
My adoption mother was the worse one though. She figured out how to give me panic attacks. She was never physically harsh, but she sort of purposely triggered panic attacks almost every day.  
Well, one day it got so bad, and I was screaming so much, that it tore my vocal chords. And they did nothing about it. My throat got infected, I got blood poisoning. They finally took me to the hospital because they realized they needed me.  
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you why they adopted me in the first place.  
It's because they knew how smart I was. How inventive. So they made me make things for them.  
How bad were the beatings? Well, I had to reset my own dislocated shoulder once. But he never left scars. So there's that.  
Anyway, they fixed my throat and un-poisoned my blood, and asked how it happened. It's the closest I got to telling anyone. I just told them I was scared of thunder. By then I was.  
I was also starting to figure out escape plans. See, the reason I didn't tell anyone was because they threatened me about that. One slip of the tongue and they might accidentally kill me.  
So I found a gun. Haha yeah plot twist. No, I didn't use it to kill them, like I may have. I just messed with it. My parents didn't know I had it, and playing with it distracted me.  
Well, until papa found it. He beat me with the gun, then tried to choke me to death, till mama came and stopped him. Aaaanyway.  
Okay so yeah that happened, then I finally finished the device. The ones I used to torture Edd? Well. I never got a chance to use it, because they sent me to England for elementary school. Plot twist number two.  
I don't remember any of it. At all. Seriously. Why do you think I made the memory eraser gun? I'll tell you about that later.  
Came back a year later, with enough confidence to put my plan into action. I became a criminal. Used the torture device on my adoption parents. Thing is, it didn't satisfy me like I wanted. I was just going to leave them there, screaming forever. But I killed them. I just wanted them gone. So, finally I was free. I burned down the houses all down the street, and made said memory eraser gun, for obvious reasons. I wanted to be myself, not affected by them.  
It worked partially. I knew what happened still, but I didn't have to remember if I didn't want to.  
That's when I started getting ambitious, and wanted power. So I infiltrated the government, interrogated officials for information, tried to take over a couple times. Then I went to prison, met Paul and Pat. Met you three. Nobody else knows this much, Paul and Patryck just know I was abused and killed my parents. I'm going back to sleep.”  
Tom just stared at him. He had no idea what to say. Tord just fell asleep.  
What the hell?  
What the actual hell?  
Tom was so confused that he just sat there for about half an hour, trying to sort out his mind.  
On one hand, probably Tord didn't want Tom’s thoughts of him to change. That's why he trusted him enough to tell him.  
On the other hand. WHAT THE HELL???  
He wasn't sure if he would have preferred not knowing.  
He eventually fell asleep as well, too mind exhausted to think about it more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short tho.


	76. Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not called fluff for no reason.  
> LOTS OF FLUFF  
> SO MUCH FLUFF  
> I said before I'd tell you guys where I live.  
> I live in Texas, United States of Merica.

Tom woke up and instantly remembered what Tord told him. Not all the details, as he'd still been just barely drunk. But enough to worry about how Tord might be after telling him.  
Turns out, Tord was still asleep.  
And he looked a lot better, not as sick anymore.  
Tom just watched him for a little while, resting comfortably on top of him.  
It was probably weird. Tom didn't care. He messed with Tord’a hoodies strings, and jumps when a hand covers his.  
“Morning Tommy.”  
Tom narrows his eyes at the nickname. “Wow. So original. Is impressed.”  
Tord snickers. “As if you could come up with a better one.”  
“Sure I could, Commie. I could come up with all sorts of nicknames for you, Sunshine Lollipops.”  
“Alright alright jeez.” Tord sits up and Tom groans as he has to sit up as well.  
“I was so comfortable.”  
“Well too bad. What ti- nevermind.”  
Tord shook his head. So he told him. How would Tom react?  
He could barely remember it, the entire past day was a blur. He knew he told Tom about his past, but he didn't know how detailed he was, or how Tom reacted. He knew he was calm about it, which was a surprise. He thought he'd have another attack, like he used to when the memories surfaced. But he didn't seem to. Maybe because he was telling someone about it.  
Tom puts his head back on Tord's chest, not seeming to want to move. Tord sighs and puts his hands in Toms hair, messing with it. Tom legit purrs and nuzzles his hand, and Tord snickers. So Tom’s cuter animalistic qualities stayed with him when he was fully human. Tord kisses his forehead and rests his head on top of Tom's, arm around his waist. The purring dies down, and Tom grips his jacket. “Pet me.”  
Tord raises his eyebrows at the command. “Needy, aren't we?”  
Tom growls at him lightly, fingers digging into Tords chest. “Alright alright jeez. You're so cute.” Tord says, petting him again. He tried to floof Toms hair, but it stayed straight and pointy. TI'm started purring again, and Tord felt an oddly warm emotion, smiling at Tom warmly. “Hey Tom.”  
Tom tries to respond, but his “yeah?” Is infused with purring. Tord snickers, then leans down and whispers “Let's go on a date.”  
Tom nods absentmindedly. “Where?” Still purring.  
“Well it depends. Would you want to go somewhere cliche, like the movies, or somewhere that is more us? Like, maybe a gun show or something.”  
Tom shrugs nonchalantly. “Su-u-ure.”  
Tord hugs him, still stroking with one hand.  
Tom wraps his arms around Tords waist and whispers “I’m glad you didn't die.” They're quiet for a moment, then they both burst into laughter, going on for a full few minutes, then Tord wipes his eye, watery from laughing so much, and, snickering, asks. “Why are we laughing?”  
“I don't know.” Tom laughs wheezily and messes with Tords jacket, then puts his head under Tords hoodie. Tord blushes and taps Tom’s head. “Why?”  
“Because your skin is soft.” The words are muffled. Tord shivers when he feels Tom stroking his stomach. “Tom, I'm still sick.”  
“I told you I'm immune.”  
Tord sighs. “Yeah, but it might not be best to… ah, never-”  
“Get you excited?”  
Tord blushes and looks away, even though Tom can't see him. “... that's one way to put it. But again, nevermind. Don't worry about it, do what you want.”  
“I think I will.”  
He pulls his head out from under Tords jacket and just rests his head on Tord's abs, still petting his stomach.  
Tord snickers and pets his head. “It's like three. You want to sleep?”  
Tom shakes his head. “I don't want to leave you.”  
“You can sleep on me then. I don't mind.”  
“Should we talk about… what you told me?”  
“Maybe. Feel free to ask whatever, I guess. I just sorta want to know what you think.”  
“Honestly I'm just wondering ‘what the hell?’ Who would do that to a young person who'd done nothing wrong?”  
“I get it though. I'd never… but I get that they wanted the skills, and needed a way to control me.”  
Tom shudders. “It's horrible.”  
“Yeah. I won't deny it.”  
Tom sighs and sits up. Tord lets out a little disappointed noise, liking whatever weird things Tom was doing.  
Until Tom kissed him. Tord quickly kissed him back, and felt Tom grin against his mouth. Tom pulls away, and cups the side of Tords face.  
“I don't know if this is what you want, but I'm going to consider your child self someone else. And consider the weakness of childhood dead.”  
Tord stares at him for a moment, then cups his hand. “Yes. That's… that's perfect.”  
Tom grinned and kissed him again, not pulling away for a while. When he finally did, Tord patted his head. “Go to sleep.” Tom nodded and laid on him again, head on his chest. “I love you.” He murmurs.  
Tord blushes. He considered saying it back, then sighed in disappointment when he felt Tom's breathing go even, obviously asleep.  
He sighs and pets Tom more. “I love you too.” He murmurs anyway.  
A couple hours later Paul messaged him, saying that the rumors going around about him and Tom were being reinforced.  
Well, if they already knew, then he may as well announce it. He felt better, and if Tom wasn't on him he'd probably have gotten up and started work again.  
But Tom was asleep, and Tord didn't want to wake him. So he messaged Paul back and told him that in a couple more hours he'd get up and start. Just not yet.  
Tom eventually stirred against him, hands clenching against Tords jacket.  
“Min gud, du er søt.” My god, you are cute.  
Tom smiles a little when he hears Tord, and opens his eyes just a little. “I like it when you speak Norwegian.” He mumbles, and Tord poked his cheek. Tom whacked his hand lightly.  
“Still sleeping.”  
“No you're not.”  
“Mhmm. Why not?”  
“I'm so hot you can't fall asleep on me. You just can't stand closing your eyes on this beauty.”  
“Mhmm.” Tom nods and pats his chest. “Yep. Not… closing my eyes… at all…”  
He is snoring before Tord can remark any more. Tord rolls his eyes. “Nope not at all.”  
Tord gets Tom’s hair tangled, then combs it out. Tom suddenly yelps and grabs his head, frowning at Tord. “You pulled.”  
Tord sticks his tongue out. “Sorry. You were the one that wanted me to pet you so much.”  
Tom stuck his tongue out back at him, then yelps when Tord opens his mouth and kisses him. He lets it go on for a few seconds, then pulls away with a grumpy face. “That wasn't invitation.”  
“Maybe not. Maybe I let myself in. But you have me the key.”  
“Too complicated. Just…” he kisses Tord again.  
Tord reciprocates and pulls him closer. Tom feels his hair, running his hand through it, then pulls away in curiosity.  
“Why do you keep your hair in those spikes?”  
“Because. They're my horns.” He leans close and flicks his tongue at Tom's ear. “I'm a devil.”  
Tom responds by biting his neck gently. He grows his own horns, and smirks, growling.  
Tord shivers. “I thought you couldn't grow stuff voluntarily?”  
Tom pulls away a little. “I lied. I don't like to. But I think I can now.”  
He kisses his neck, his slightly large teeth brushing against his neck.  
“Alright alright Tom stop, I still have a slight IV drip, and I kinda need to get back to work.”  
Tom snorts in disappointment and shifts back, pulling away slightly.  
Tord pats his hair and leans down, whispering, “Later. I expect a lot.” He grins, and Tom wiggles his eyebrows. “Mister high and mighty is back.”  
Tord flicks his tongue at him and gently pushes him out of his lap. He swings his legs over the side, then pulls up his screen, ignoring Tom when he hugs him from behind, head on his shoulder. He checks the updates on the world.  
His eyes widen.  
There was a nuclear meltdown at his base. His Red Army base was flooded with nuclear material.  
“How did… how did they even know about that?!?”  
He immediately got a message from Patryck, and clicked on it.  
“It’s not ours. It was put there. It wasn't a bomb.”  
Tord is confused now. How did they import nuclear waste into his base?  
And why did they do it when the base was quarantined?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did dark, now I will do fluff.  
> What's next?  
> We shall see...  
> And I've decided to post my art anyway even though I only got two people saying they want it XD  
> I'm desperate to show off tbh.


	77. How?!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys it ends I need an odd spot. But I'll continue it don't worry.

Tom taps his screen. “What happened?”  
“Well… apparently the base is a nuclear garbage bin now. How the heck did they…?”  
He knew how Patryck knew it wasn't theirs. There was a sensor on it that told them if it was so much as breathed on.  
So how-  
Tord formed an idea in his head. A way it could have happened. If that was the case…  
This could be really bad indeed.  
He quickly messaged Paul and Patryck and told them to meet him somewhere, then grabbed Tom by the arm. “Put a shirt on, your uniform if you can. We need to meet them as fast as possible…”  
He quickly stands up and strides out of the room, ripping off the things attached to him. He was a little woozy, but it was of utmost importance.  
Tom quickly followed. “I can't, not if it has nuclear waste.”  
Tord shakes his head, taking off his hoodie and handing it to Tom, heading back to his room and throwing on his coat, buttoning it up to hide his torso.  
“So what's up, where we going?”  
“Well, we could be in serious trouble if what I think happened is correct.”  
“Aaaand what's that?”  
“I'll tell you when we meet with Paul and Pat.”  
Tom nods, jogging to keep up with Tord’s slightly longer strides. “Sooooo thinking about later, what are you even into?”  
Tord glances at him. “What do you mean?”  
“You challenged me ten seconds ago what do you mean, ‘what do you mean’?”  
Tord blushes, remembering, then considers the question.  
“... I don't know.”  
“Oh lovely so I have to guess. Thanks. That makes it easy.”  
“I've only done it, what, twice before?! How am I supposed to know??”  
“You've watched plenty of hentai. You should know by now. Maybe I'll just go through it again, see what you've watched.”  
“What do you mean, again?!?”  
“Oh. I was bored and depressed when you were sick, so I messed with your hologram desk.”  
Tord covers his face with his hands. “Ahhh jeez.”  
“Are you gonna teleport there or not?”  
“Oh. Stop distracting me Tom!”  
He grabs Toms arm and teleports to where he meant to meet Paul and Patryck.  
They were already there, and Paul raised an eyebrow at Tords flustered look and blushing face, and Tom wearing his hoodie.  
“What were you two up to?” Patryck asks teasingly.  
Not that he looked much better off, which Tom quickly pointed out.  
For one, their names on their uniforms were switched. For another, Patrick's hair was all over the place. Paul’s was the same.  
And they also looked interrupted, like they were busy and got called at a moment's notice.  
HMMMMMM…  
Tom snickers at the look on Patrycks face, then Tord clears his throat impatiently. “Okay, enough banter, we need to solve the nuclear problem.”  
“Oh, right. You had an idea, you said.”  
Tord nods. “Yes. I don't need to say much, and I haven't worked out the kinks, but- shut up Tom. But could it be time travel?”  
Patrycks eyes widened in surprise, and Paul looks impressed.  
“Wow. Wow it really could I even saw a big machine that could do that. It was in a room,” Tom begins to describe it. “About as big as a regular gym, and there were pillars and all sorts of stuff. It was very blue in there. So yeah that's all I saw because we just passed by. It looked very technical.”  
Tord sighed. “But how did they get that to our base? Oh right. The future. How did I let it happen? Well, needless to say, we need to stop this, we can't… unless…”  
“Unless you did it.” Tom finishes. “Maybe you did it to keep the base safe in the future.”  
Tord thought hard about this. Maybe he needed it clean in the future. After it had a meltdown? It would make sense, because of timing. But not because of placement. Wouldn’t he have teleported it? When did it even happen?  
The questions, and all the hidden factors, was stressing him out.  
“Maybe… I can worry about it later?”  
“But- sir-”  
“No shush Paul. I'm serious. Maybe we can find a way to prevent it, or even not prevent it, in the future. For now, no one is to go in the Red Army base. At all. It will be on full lockdown. So for now I need to know where to hold my army. AARGH I NEED MY OFFICE-”  
“Oh sir!!!” Paul held up a hand. “Apparently your room was on lockdown. None of the radiation would have entered it.”  
“It's not impenetrable-”  
“No sir, the radiation sensor is still on negative.”  
Tord stares at him. “Really?”  
“Yeah, the… the nuclear shield was activated.”  
Tord shakes his head, laughing. So it was him. No one else knew about his precautions, but Paul Patryck and Tom. And even they didn't know about… ALL of them.  
Plus, who else would activate it and not mean to kill him?  
“Let's go there then.”  
Patryck nods uncertainly, while Tom looks grumpy. “Great. Here comes monster Tom again.”  
“What? Why?”  
“Because when I'm around radiation, whether it's touching me or not, it makes me at least half turn.”  
“Oh. Well, let's go.”  
“Hey!” Tom scowls at him.  
“What can I say? You're cute as long as you're purring. Plus, maybe your words will stop doing that thing they do where they, you know, come out.”  
He laughs when Tom punches his shoulder. “I'm joking I'm joking, but we do have to go there. I'll knock you out if you get too feis- violent.”  
Tom sticks his tongue out grumpily and crosses his arms. “Fine, let's go then.”  
“Good. I was worried I would have to make you. La oss gå.”  
“What?”  
“Ah, I said let's go.” He teleported after Paul and Patryck, stopping Tom to kiss him quickly first. “Sorry, I wanted to.” He teleports away, and Tom follows soon after.  
Sure enough, the radiation had not reached the office. Yet sure enough, Tom started growling as he half turned, arms still crossed but now clawed, horns sprouting from his head, teeth growing slightly. He glares at Tord but doesn't attack anyone, his tail lashing behind him. Tord tries not to smirk and nods at him, then goes to his desk and pulls up the hologram. He quickly closes his hentai tab, suspecting it might be up, then raises an eyebrow at the other tabs. “Why were you looking yourself up, Tom?”  
Tom growls at him, his purple tinted skin getting slightly darker as he blushes.  
“Right, you can't talk.” Patryck laughs. “It was just curiosity. He found furry porn of himself and stopped.”  
Tord laughs, shaking his head, and Tom growls at them again, looking embarrassedly angry about their laughing.  
Tord looks up at him and beckons him over. Tom comes over slowly, and Tord kisses his cheek. “Shush. Don't be like that.”  
Tom’s growling stutters to a stop, and he looks away. Tord smirks and checks the state of the base. Nothing else was protected. So it was all filled.  
Tord shook his head. “I don't get it. But I guess I won't worry about it. I'll send out the message about not coming here. Come up with a place to meet, now!”  
Paul whispers to Patryck, who shakes his head. “No, not the mall, not the park.”  
Tord shakes his head in agreement. Tom growls out a suggestion.  
“Tom, we don't know what you're saying.”  
Tom growls at Patryck, and taps on the hologram, opening a new tab, and typing something in.  
His claws scratched the desk slightly, and Tord pushed his hand away, ignoring his snapping at him. He quickly scanned the typed message, and widens his eyes at Tom.  
“Why not use the Green Revolt base?”  
They could. They could totally invade, it would get rid of at least half of them and smash them, especially if the whole army invaded.  
Tord was grinning already. An invasion like that, just ONE good battle.  
It's been too long since he'd fought. The only thing that sucked about being Leader was how little he got to do the fun stuff.  
He shook his head, still grinning, coming up with a plan already. He ignores Tom, who rested his head on his shoulder, and addressed Paul and Patryck. “I know what we're gonna do. How long has it been since the two of you have fought, for real?”  
Patryck and Paul glances at each other, excitedly. Suddenly Tom's head shot up, his horn clipping Tord’s jaw painfully. He growled, long and low, and went back to the desk, typing something in frantically.  
“None of us have armor.”  
Tord glanced quickly around, and realized just how true that was. Paul's was peeled off when he got burned, his own was with Tom's help to stick him with the cure, and IV, and Tom himself had-  
“Wait. Hold on. Patryck, how did shrapnel get through Tom’s armor to begin with?”  
They stared at each other. Then Patryck glanced at Tom.  
He shook his head, not knowing either.  
He hadn't even thought of that.  
Patryck hadn't either. “He had it on, when we went to the hospital wing they had to take it off, with my help, to reach his wound. I just didn't even… it didn't cross my mind.”  
“It wasn't somehow the bomb, because that was one of ours and we don't have fully advanced phase tech yet. So what… was it the wall? Somehow it got through his armor?”  
Tom growled at them, being ignored again.  
“I don't know. I wasn't hurt by it, but my armor was gone by then.”  
“Wait, yours is gone too?”  
“Yeah the Black Market Revolution took it off somehow. Actually, not somehow. They used weird glowing scissors.”  
Paul winced. “You didn't tell me that.”  
“Well, it's not my fault you've been OCCUPYING me since you woke up.”  
Paul blushed, looking away. “Sorry, guess I won't do that again then.”  
“Wait no-”  
“Guys shut up you're distracting me.”  
Paul and Patryck glance at Tord and go quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also lots of sexual... innuendos.  
> And no sex haha.  
> Not that... you'll have to wait too long :3


	78. Pain and Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate myself for writing this.  
> I'm sobbing.  
> This is so sad like... MY BBY

Tord is quiet for a little bit, then glances at Tom. “Could I be considered undead?” Tom stares at him in confusion, then starts laughing. He nods, and Tord sighs. “I'm the undead leader hooray. Okay, whatever. I believe we have a break now before more action happens, so it's time to address something.” He sits on his desk because he feels like it, crossing his legs and leaning his elbows on his knees. And stares at Patryck. Patryck looks confused for a moment, then he realizes what Tord is thinking and pales a little. “Ahh shit.” Tord tilts his head. “What to do with you?” Paul looks confused. “What…?” “I'll fill you in in a minute. See, I don't think my message got across now that you're back together. Especially if you ran off to save him like that.” Patryck works his jaw for a second, then blurts out “I made sure everything was-” “But did you come up with a plan before running after him? No. Come here, stand in front of the desk.” Patryck shudders and walks closer. Tord stares at him more, thinking. Thinking. “I could teach you a lesson of fear, but that never seems to get through as well as lessons of… pain.” Patryck ducks his head, breathing quickly. Tom roars something at Tord, who ignores him. And Paul steps forward. “What's going on?!?” “See here soldier, your idiot boyfriend attacked me when we left the base, what, yesterday? Because he thought it was my fault that you were trapped in there, even though there was no possible way to get to you in time. Otherwise I would have, because you two are important to m- the army. But he wasn't attacking me because he thought it would do anything. You were already trapped. He was attacking me to subdue me. To make his anger more important than my safety. To make me UNDERSTAND something I ALREADY KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT!!” He grabs Patryck by the front of his jacket and shake him once, hard. Patryck winces and grabs his wrists, more out of reflex than to actually push Tord away. Paul facepalms. “God, you idiot. I've told you to abandon me if Red Leader is in danger. That doesn't mean attack him right after you do.” Patryck mumbles, “lot easier said than done,” and Tord throws him to the ground. “Leave. All of you. I need to figure out the best way to punish him, to leave a lasting reminder. If only we could bring back the ancient flogging traditions. But no, I need you healthy for battle, no weaknesses. I could use these…” he said thoughtfully, pulling out his torture device. Patryck sees them and backs up to the wall, looking white and terrified. “But no.” Tord says, pocketing them again. “I need you sane as well. I told you to leave!” He suddenly snaps, and Tom glares at him, getting his disapproval across, before teleporting away. Paul looks at Patryck on the floor, then holds out a hand to help him up. “No.” Tord says, dangling his feet off the front of his desk. “He can help himself up. And he needs to stay here. Leave, Paul.” Paul glances at him, bites his lip, then nods and teleports away. Patryck stands up quickly, leaning against the wall, his legs too shaky to hold him up. Tord jumps off his desk and paces. He could use the VR. But it would probably be something about Paul dying, which would just encourage him. He could punish Paul instead. But he hated doing things to people who didn't deserve it, especially since Paul was injured already. Well, he didn't mind hurting people outside his army. But inside… What if he used a simulation of the nerves, for a couple things he wanted to do but couldn't because it would injure him? Like, for instance, simulate a flogging? Tord grinned. Now he was getting somewhere. “Patryck, open the drawer of scraps and hand me the thing that looks like a thumbtack, with a chip inside.” Patryck didn't want to. He knew what Tord was trying to figure out. But he didn't want to draw out his fear, or make it worse. Whatever “it” was. He got what Tord requested, and shakily handed it to him. Tord took it, then looked him in the face. “Do you consider my life more important than any others?” Patryck ducked his eyes. “Yes.” “I don't believe you.” Patryck winced. What was he supposed to say? “If Paul was in trouble would you race to save him?” “Yes.” “Even if it compromised my orders?” Patryck hesitated. “N… no.” “Don't believe you.” Why was Tord doing this? “Be quiet.” Tord plugged the chip into his hand and prepared a program, then downloads it. It took a little longer than he expected, and they ended up standing there for ten minutes. Tord finally unplugged the chip and tossed it a couple times, considering one last thing. “Alright, get me some handcuffs. Can't have you taking this off.” Patryck shivered, scared out of his mind. And yet as always he did as asked. He found some and handed them to Tord, who cuffed his wrists behind his back. Tord told him to sit on the floor. He did. Tord walked around behind him, and thought about the best place to put it, then stuck the tack in the base of Patrick's skull. It was thin enough that it didn't hurt Patryck, just made him shiver. “Alright. I'm gonna leave you to it. Twenty.” He said, then activated the program in his mind, teleporting away. Patryck would feel it exactly as though it happened, but it wouldn't leave a mark. The ancient traditions had turned futuristic. He met up with Tom in his hospital room, and immediately Tom started shouting at him, about how he was a jerk and how he would do the same thing and how harsh he was. Tord ignored him, sitting on the bed and deleting the trigger program in his head. It was just to start the simulated lashing. It would stop automatically after 20. With Tom's voice pushed to the back of his head, he brought out some papers and began writing, coming up with an invasion plan for the Green Revolt base, based off of the blueprints he'd gotten. They'd been looked at before. “Hey Tom, how did you know where to find Paul and Patryck, since you were in the tunnels?” Tom stopped his furious ranting and crossed his arms. “You weren't even listening were you?” “No, because I already thought of all of that. But that's not the point, we can talk about that later. I’m just curious on if you saw the blueprints-” He got a notification in his head that the simulation was done, and stood up. “Be right-” “No, I'm going with you.” Tord narrowed his eyes at Tom, then sighed. “Alright.” He teleported to his office, where Patryck was curled up on the floor, blood just barely trickling from the puncture on his neck. He was sweating like crazy, and shivering, tear streaks down his face. His eyes were clenched shut. Tord knelt down and took out the tack, blood starting to bead up again until he wrapped a bandage around his neck, then took off his handcuffs. Patryck just wrapped his arms around himself, not reacting otherwise. Tord stared at him for a moment of two, then tilted Patrycks head up to look at him. “Open your eyes.” He waited a second or two, then opened his eyes, looking at Tord. “Will you ever attack me again, even if it means getting Paul back?” “No.” “Good. Get up, we have work to do.” Patryck closed his eyes again, then slowly stood up, wincing at the ghost of his pain. Tom growls, hating seeing pain like that. “Can you work functionally?” Patryck nods. “Answer.” “Yes sir.” “Good. This won't happen again as long as you don't attack me as idiotically as you did. I'll tell Paul to come.” He messaged Paul, and almost immediately Paul appeared, dashing toward Patryck and wrapping his arms around him. As soon as he touched Pat’s back, however, Patryck winced and pushed him away. Paul gazed at him in concern. “Are you… okay?” “No. But I'm not physically hurt, it's fine, I just…” He glanced at Tord, then quickly away. “Still feel it.” Paul stares at Tord as well. “What did you do to him?” He asks, trying not to sound accusing. Tord isn't paying attention, already putting the plans he'd already drawn out onto the hologram. Tom growls something, and Tord rolls his eyes. “Can you stop that? We know you want to say something and sorry you can't, but it's distracting me.” Tom grumbles under his breath and Tord pulls up the blueprints. “Alright Tom, I want you to lead the charge. But I want you to be in your monster form. It's more powerful, and it's harder to hurt you that way.” Tom narrows his eyes but doesn't answer. “Paul, Pat, I want you to supervise, help out the areas having a rough time. Whatever you do, though, NONE of you are allowed to die, or get seriously hurt. Understand?” “Yes sir.” Paul and Tom chorus, Tom growling and Patryck echoing a second later. “I will fight by Tom. I won't die though.” He grins. “No one will be able to land so much as a finger on me, much less a bullet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries*  
> Imsorryimsorryimsorry...  
> I'm not sorry >83  
> Anyway I'll have to figure out later how to put pictures on here, and then I'll post my picture of Tord. X3


	79. Anger All Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOUUUUT OOOUUUT  
> TO wisterinite's work: Enemy Base Secure, Sir.  
> Tie really well written, long chapters, and very under-read. Read it.
> 
> Also slight nsfw this chapter just flirting kinda sorta anyway.
> 
> IM SORRY I DIDNT POST YESTERDAY  
> IM BUSY THIS WEEK
> 
> also just FYI next week I go to camp. I think I'll have time, but I have no idea so. Yeah.

“But, we will wait until tomorrow. Paul, inform the troops to be ready at the Green Park tomorrow morning at dawn. Today they are to stay at their stations in their specified countries.”  
Paul nods and pulls out his screen, but his hands shook with well hidden anger and he dropped it twice before Patryck picked it up and did it himself.  
Tord ignores them and turns to Tom. “I'm going to your apartment.”  
He teleports away, and Tom watches for a second, then uses the hologram to tell him that he'd be there in a minute or two.  
As soon as Tord is gone, all the tension melts from Patrycks shoulders and he shudders, then wraps his arms around Paul and buries his face in his shoulder. He's shaking visibly, and Paul wraps his other arm around him.  
“Give me the word,” Paul whispers furiously, “and I'll find a way to assassinate him.”  
Patryck barely shakes his head, and Tom sighs and looks down at the floor, claws gripping the desk.  
“What did he do to you?” Paul asks, and Patryck shudders.  
“Simulation. I don't want to think about it right now.”  
“Okay. Do you want to go back to our place? I have your comfort food and movies. I say we have the day off.”  
Patryck breathes haltingly, then nods slightly. Paul glances at Tom, who glances up at him and holds a thumbs up- or, opposable claws up- then teleports away.  
Paul and Patryck leave soon after, and have their own adventures that lift Patrycks spirits, if only marginally.  
When Tom gets to the apartment, Tord is at his desk, fiddling with a tack, a chip in the head. Tom doesn't change back.  
He's angry at Tord. He knows why he did it, he understood both sides. But one of them spoke stronger to him than the other. Tord sighed, setting it down next to a hammer.  
“You don't have to be like that.” He says, indicating his monster form. Tom growls at him in response, crossing his arms.  
“I had to. I punish all my soldiers for things that aren't allowed, this is just another example.”  
“But he's not just a soldier.” Tom growls out, starting to change back. “He's your friend, too. Where else do you think you get their loyalty?”  
Tord laughs, legitimately surprised and amused. “Ha! You think they like me? That's where you’re wrong, Tom. Since I've joined this army, I've given up on ‘friends’. There are only followers and enemies. And boyfriends, I suppose. There are subclasses. But few can stand to be around me so much as them. They are loyal, and smart, and that is why they're so important. Loyal to the cause, and therefore loyal to me, because I represent everything this army is about.”  
Tom shakes his head. “What about Edd and Matt?”  
“They… were friends. Edd doesn't like my cause, so he chose the other side. Matt… ahh shit.”  
“What?”  
“I think we left him out in the parking lot.”  
“Lovely. He probably made his way ba… back inside…”  
Tom stares at him, Tord stares back, and a second later they both leap into action. Tord pulls up his screen to text him and Tom immediately changes back, his sense of urgency overriding his anger. He is at Tord's shoulder in a second, and they wait apprehensively for a response.  
A minute.  
Two.  
Then Tom shouts happily as a message appears from Matt, saying he left the base when he got the message, of course he's not still there he got the message earlier to leave and did so, silly.  
Tom sighs in relief, but Tord looks suspicious.  
“Wait… I sent the message after the reaction. He should be radioactively boiled alive.”  
Tom realizes he has a point.  
“Um… text him again? Or have him come here?”  
Tord does both, telling him to come.  
He texts back, saying he's driving there now, and Tord rolls his eyes, about to say back that he could just teleport, but Tom stops him.  
“No. Let him take his time. We have things we need to talk about.”  
Tord glances at him and sighs, swiping the screen away. He turns to Tom. “What?”  
“What do you mean, what? I just want you to tell me what you did to him, and I'll judge you accordingly.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at him. “Fine. I stuck him with a simulation.”  
“He said as much himself. Elaborate.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “I stuck it in his spine, where all his nerves attach.”  
“Contiiinuuue.”  
“I am just shut up. And I programmed the simulation to be a flogging. It wouldn't actually hurt him, but he would feel it as if it were.”  
“Okay but…”  
Tord looks away slightly guiltily. “I may have done it with the worst kind of, you know, whip that you can get. I had to teach him only to listen to me, Tom.”  
Tom glares at him.  
“Tom. Please don't hate me. Discipline is necessary when-”  
“That wasn't discipline that was fucking torture.”  
“Fine, but I had to. You know why.”  
Tom sighed, and crouched in front of him, putting his head in his lap.  
Tord looks down at him, confused.  
“I was actually a little worried.” Tom said, voice slightly muffled between his legs. “When he attacked you. I thought he'd actually hurt you.”  
Tord snorts. “He may be my left hand man, but he couldn't kill me. And he wouldn't, now. He wouldn't dare.”  
“Yeah whatever. I'll drop it, but I don't like it. And if you do it again I'll leave you.”  
“And I'll keep you in prison. You're mine, Tom.”  
“Ha. Haha. I'd say you belong more to me. I can do whatever I want to you.”  
He leans his chin on Tord's knee and lazily traces one finger up the inside of his thigh, making Tord squirm uneasily.  
“Tord tell me what you're into. Fetishes, kinks, I wanna know it all.”  
Tord blushes immensely and looks away, trying to ignore Tom's finger, now reaching the crook of his hip. “F-fine. You can look a-at my hentai.”  
Tom snickers. “What if I misinterpret something and think you're into one thing but it's actually something, you know, else.”  
He pokes Tord's groin, and Tord yelps and covers himself. “Tom, I don't know. We can talk about this later. Matt will be here any-”  
The door opens and Tom stands up smoothly, standing next to Tord and acting like nothing at all was happening. Tord, however, quickly moves his hands to cross his arms, but his face is red and he opens and closes his mouth like a dying fish.  
“Hello! What all have you been up to!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I'm making a second part in the series. Every chapter will be an unseen scene in this fic, I.e. Patrycks torture, what happened to Paul when Tord sent him off, stuff like that.
> 
> But I'm only doing it by request. I got a request for the Patryck one, so I'm posting that. But I won't make another until I am requested to do so.


	80. Radioactivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this seriously sucks. No amount of words can describe how tired I have been today. It's literally 98 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I'm melting.   
> So yeah it sucks. I'm posting I think anyway, because I don't have the energy to rewrite.
> 
> Ugh. I hate Texas weather.
> 
> SLIGHT NSFW WARNING BUT NOT FULL ON FUCKING JUST MOSTLY TALKING AND STUFF

“Ehm, nothing! We weren't doing anything at all I am just dandy how are you?”  
Matt isn't even phased.  
“Oh I'm doing fine too! There might be something wrong with the AC though, it was a bit stuffy back at the base. I totally understand why you told us to get out, the heat would do nothing for my complexion!”  
Tom stares at him, then at Tord.   
“Y… you mean, like, radioactively hot?”  
“That's one way to describe me!” He poses musingly, and starts to glow green.  
“Ohhhh jeez.” Tom backs away a little. “Great time to call him over, sweetheart.”  
“Yeah I get it, T-”  
Tord registers the nickname and stutters, blushing.   
“Oh dear.” Matt says, looking at himself. “What does this mean?”  
“How the hell would I know, you were the one standing in radioactive waste and somehow not dying.”  
“Perhaps it will make me even handsomer!”  
Tom rolls his eyes. “Sure. Or maybe you'll just stay green. As long as you don't turn into a zombie.”  
Matt grins, teeth glowing as well.  
“Okay that's creepy.” Tord says, still muttering.  
Then the flash turns off.  
“What happened?” Tord asks, leaning toward Matt. Matt shrugs. “Dunno. I don't look different, do I? I would be mightily discouraged if someone else's stupidity caused my face, my precious face, harm.”  
“You stay with us, we’ll find out what's-”  
“Hey Matt.” Tom interrupts Tord, walking behind his chair and using him as a headrest, arms loosely over his shoulders, brushing his lower abdomen. “Guess what?”  
“What?”  
“Guess who's going out with Red Leader?”  
“Uhhhh…. oh those two guys that are always around him?”  
Tord raises an eyebrow. “Where did you- no. No no no. Don't guess it's not im-”  
“Aww look you're embarrassed.” Tord blushes, not helping.   
“Ooo! Is it me! It's always me what am I thinking.”  
“No. Oh my f- it's Tom, okay!”  
Tom snickers, and Matt looks confused now. “But you two hate each other…?”  
“WHY does this matter now?”  
“I just wanted to see his reaction.”  
“Oh okay so you two aren't-”  
Tom shakes his head. “No, we are. We definitely are. But I wanted to see your reaction.”  
“Well I'm confused. Since when?”  
“Since…. uhh last week? Holy potato in a piccolo I have no idea. We've done things but have been too busy to go on a date.”  
He puts heavy emphasis on “things”.  
Matt raises an eyebrow, then grins. “Oh, so like you’ve kissed and stuff.”  
“Yep, a lot of other stuff.”  
Tord stands up quickly and covers his mouth. “Alright, Matt, that's enough questioning go to the labs, have them find out what's wrong with you we're busy bye.”  
He slams the door shut behind him, then turns red-faced to Tom, who sticks his tongue out teasingly.  
“I was having fun.”  
“You were bullying me. Stop it. Don't talk about it around people. I don't mind him, he's dumb as a rock, but anyone else would spread rumors to the entire base.”  
Tom snickers. “It's not like the rumors aren't true. Other than the one about you starting a sex slave trade.”  
Tord just stares at him for a couple seconds then looks away, lip curling. “Gross. Definitely not interested.”  
“Good. I would be sorely insulted if you were. Maybe not talk to you again.”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “Great. I'm not even thinking about it.”  
“Hmm. But Tord seriously, it's not helping at all not knowing what you're into. I won't do sadism or masochism, because I hate pain. But that's all.”  
“I'm sadistic I will admit, but not in a sexual way. Definitely not.”  
“Fine then. Whaaaat are you interested in?”  
Tord narrows his eyes, not answering.   
“Cosplaying?”  
No answer.  
“Any fetishes?”  
Still no answer.  
“Bondage?”  
Blush, and a clenching of fists.  
“Ah, I'm onto something here.”  
“Shut up Tom.”  
“You into bondage?”  
“No.”  
Tom narrows his eyes. Then grins. “What about my monster self?”  
Tord blushes again, crossing his arms. “Maybe.”  
“You like me half turned?”  
“Ugh.”  
“Should I take that as a yes?”  
Narrows his eyes again. Tord isn't used to being on this side of an interrogation. He doesn't like it.  
He jumps as Tom puts a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to kiss him. Tord kisses back, arms still crossed, and Tom grabs his wrists and puts Tord's hands around his waist.  
Tom guides him to sit in the chair, and sits in his lap, knees on either side of Tord's waist.  
Tord pulls him closer then pulls away from the kiss. “Wait- no I have stuff to d-”  
“You always say that. Jeezus. Do you want to or not? You should be glad I'm still offering, after the shit you did with Pat.”  
“Oh so now you're threat-”  
“No, no no I'm just saying that, I'm pissed about that, because it's stupid. But I'm not going to, uh, let it get between us.”  
Tord narrowed his eyes, and sighs. “Fine. Let's go to your place. But I need to work out a plan for invasion, and I will do it immediately afterwards.”  
Tom grinned and hooked an arm around his waist, then teleported them both to his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could sleep but my dad is making me do martial arts tonight.


	81. Blunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys, this is really long.  
> I was cringing the entire time. Entire time, I tell you.
> 
> I couldn't write it yesterday, I was feeling fluffy so I wrote my new fic "Tord in School" instead. Sorryyyy.
> 
> \-- SEXUAL WARNING AND BASICALLY EVERY SINGLE WARNING ALL WARNINGS AVOID AT ALL COSTS IF YOU CONTAIN A SHRED OF INNOSENCE AT ALL -- 
> 
> I'm sorry I wrote this hahahahaahahahahahah

“So tell me already.”  
“Fine. I'll write a list.”  
Tom rolls his eyes. Such an embarrassed boy.  
“You know I'm not going to kink shame you, right?”  
Tord glares at him, face red, then pours as he hands a quickly scribbled list on a paper torn off the corner of a map, then looks away, crossing his arms.  
Tom reads it over and tries not to smirk. “Geez. You could use some help with your handwriting.”  
“Shut the hell up Tom.”  
“Fine. You want to know what I'm into?”  
Tord glances at him, then away. “Fine.”  
“You speaking Norwegian.”  
Tord blushes, then narrows his eyes at him. “Is that racist?”  
“No! It's not! Jeez I will fight you on this! I just like your voice, and it sounds right when you speak Norwegian!”  
“Fine, whatever. So what else?”  
“Well. I can't say I wouldn't enjoy the things you might.”  
He sets down the list.

‘Bondage. Done to me.  
You half turned.  
Growling.’

“But there's also the fact that it's so much more satisfying when I'm half turned, it feels more like… hmm… I guess one way up put it is that it's more primal, and fells sorta like I'm, I dunno, claiming ownership of you?”  
“That's weird.”  
“Wow I didn't even kinkshame you and here you are ridiculing my dark secret. Feeling the love, sweetheart.”  
Tord blushed at his last word, and rolled his eyes. “I'm not ridiculing you. I just said it's weird.”  
“Whatever. I'll go find something I can tie you up with.” Tom says, walking out of the room. Tord clenched his arms when he heard this, and took a deep shuddering breath.  
Was it possible he was actually scared about this? Probably because he hadn't done it before. Nervous?  
He wanted Tom to walk back in very much and not at all, all at the same time.  
Whatever he wanted, eventually Tom walked back in, not holding anything, and started looking through his drawers, pulling out two scarves.  
“You better not tear these. I don't have any others. You have any handcuffs on you?”  
Tord was red in the face and looking away, but slowly reached behind him and grabbed it from his waistband, handing them over.  
Tom noticed his hesitancy and clutched down in front of him. Tord glances over at him, then away again.  
“What's up?”  
“I don't…” Tord blushes. “I'm embarrassed. And not sure.”  
Tom is quiet, contemplating. “We don't have to.”  
“I know. And it's not that I don't want… to, it's just…”  
He winces. “Dignity. I'm scrapping my dignity, that's what it is. To everyone else I'm in charge. With you it's not me in charge, the layout is flipped, and even though I like it it would be humiliating if anyone else found out.”  
“Yeah that could be bad. Don't worry about it, no one will come in. Or find out. Besides, i'm the only one who can make you grovel.” He grins when Tord clenches his teeth.  
“Not helping.”  
“Yeah it is. So are we doing this or not?”  
Tord sighed. “Yeah I guess so.”  
“Then turn around, drama queen. Actually wait-"  
Tord stuck his tongue out indignantly and Tom pulled him down by his chin a little, kissing him. He crawled up into Tord's lap and hesitated, pulling away.  
“Unless you want me to tear them off, you might want to strip before I tie you up.”  
Tord bared his teeth at him and pushed against his hips, getting him off. “Fine.”  
He took off his jacket then hesitated, embarrassed again. He eventually took off all his clothes except for his boxers.  
“I'm not taking them off yet.”  
Tom rolled his eyes. “Fine. Just don't expect them back in one piece.”  
He gestured to his bed. “Sit. Somewhere in the middle.” Tord rolled his eyes and crawled onto the bed, sitting on his feet, tapping his fingers on his knees.  
Tom just looks at him for a few seconds, then takes off his shirt, then crawls on the bed and sits in front of him. He leans forward and kisses Tord, hand at his neck, other hand brushing over his torso, his chest, his abs, his shoulder. He is quick to ask for entrance with his tongue, and Tord obliges. Tom bares his teeth a little, canines sharper and generally bigger, and slides his clawed hands down Tord's arms, then grabs his wrists and guides them behind his back. He pulls away and growls into Tord's ear, “there's no stopping me now.”  
He cuffs him, and Tord shivers at the sound. Tom leans his head on Tord's shoulder to look behind his back as he ties his ankles as well.  
Then he used the second scarf to tie around his chest, bounding his arms to his sides.  
Tom leans back and tilts Tord's head up to look at him. Tord's face was red and sweaty, and he was already panting slightly. Tom smirked, horns like a demons growing out of his head. When he talks, his voice is a growl.  
“My monster form takes slightly longer to stimulate. I require your help, and I'm not taking no for an answer.”  
He unzips his pants and pulls them halfway down his thighs, his underwear joining a couple seconds later.  
His purple tinted dick is definitely larger than his normal. Tord whimpers, and Tom opens his mouth, shoving in immediately.  
Tord gags at the unexpected intrusion, and Tom growls, going in until Tord is shaking his head, unable to take any more. He whimpers, the vibrations only encouraging Tom, before slowly starting to move his head.  
Tom knots his claws into Tord's hair, the image of him sucking his dick exciting him.  
“Hum.” He orders, voice barely understandable, and Tord narrows his eyes and obeys.  
After a little while Tom pulls back out, and, fueled by his monstrous nature, grabs Tord's sides and pulls him closer, biting his neck. Tord yelps from ticklishness then just barely moans, and is obviously impatient. Tom licks the bite, then moves down a tiny bit and leaves a hickey. He snakes his hands down to Tord's boxers and rubs the outside of them, leaving Tord practically gasping for breath.  
Tom pulls away, and Tord whimpers in disappointment.  
“Don't be li-i-i-ike that.” Tom’s voice “cracks” into a growl, barely able to stay human now that he's changed halfway. “I’m not ditching you.” He put his hand on Tord’s cheek and stroked it with his thumb, then slipped his clawed thumb into Tord's mouth, careful not to scratch.  
Tord's mouth opened a little, and Tom slips his other claws into Tord's mouth.  
Tord whimpers and seems impatient to get on with it. He struggles against the ties a little, then whines.  
Tom opens Tord's mouth, and drool starts to fall on the blanket. “Alright, thi-i-ink that's enough.”  
He grabs the waist of Tord's boxers and rips them clean off, making Tord yelp and clench his legs, blushing at the sudden exposure.  
Tom grins, looking down at his erection. “E-e-e-excited, aren’t you?”  
Tord bares his teeth at him angrily, and mutters under his breath.  
“Say that a-a-a-a-again?”  
Tord blushes and shakes his head, then gasps when Tom grabs his chin roughly, growling into his face, “I said say that again.”  
He clenches his teeth, then says more clearly, “I said get on with it already.”  
Tom grins. “That's exactly what I wanted to hear. And probably not what you wanted the consequences of.”  
He scoots around behind Tord and grabs his butt, pushing him up. Tord yelps and get up on his knees, then groans when Tom pushes the back of his head.  
“No To-”  
“I can stop now.”  
Tord whimpers and lets Tom push his head down, so that his face is pressed against the bed, and his butt is raised up humiliatingly.  
Tom keeps his hand pressing Tord's face against the bed, and lines himself up, pressing against Tords arsehole.  
“Ha. You're really going to regret it. Scream for me, will you?”  
Tord wasn't even doing it for Tom. It just hurt so much.  
Because god damn he was big, and he didn't give a damn if Tord had never had anything that big inside of him before. And god damn he was not going easy.  
Tord screamed with every thrust, feeling precum drip onto the blanket.  
“Please” he begged, not for any particular reason, not knowing what he wanted. He just begged.  
Tom didn't question it or stop, and continued to ram Tord down into the bed.  
Tom feels himself reaching climax, and gripped Tord’s head tight, the hand on his waist digging his claws in.  
He moves his hand from Tord's waist to his back when he finally climaxes, and rakes his claws down Tord's back, leaving scratches, and he feels a primal click inside them.  
He'd left his mark.  
Tord was his, and no one else's.  
Tord screamed and came a couple seconds later, spasming as he rode it out.  
Blood dripped down his sides from the scratches, being a bit deeper than Tom had meant.  
He pulled out, spilling his cum on the bed, and realized he'd accidentally cut Tord's arm scarf.  
“Shit. I liked that scarf.”  
He was slowly starting to change back, and went ahead and pulled his pants up. But his dick didn't fit in the zipper, and so he had to leave it until he shrunk back.  
“Jeezus I am big.”  
“NO FUCKING SHIT, SHERLOCK?!?” Tord shouted as he flopped sideways.  
“That hurt like hell.”  
“Sorry about your back.”  
Tord just shrugged and winced. “Can you get the cuffs off?”  
“Sure. Where's the key?” He cut the ropes on Tord's ankle and Tord jerked his chin at the clothes on the ground, the keys around his belt loop.  
Tom grabbed them and struggled to uncuff them as his hands changed back.  
The door chose that moment to open.  
“Hey guys, have you seen my mirror? I think I left it… here…” Matt stared for a moment, Tom and Tord frozen like deer in headlights.  
He slowly closed the door again, pale and shaking.  
Tord unfroze, sitting up quickly. The cuffs came off, and he grabbed at the clothes o the floor.  
“I need my gun, where's my gun?”  
“Tord no you can't kill him.”  
“Give me my pants.”  
Tom hands them over quickly, and Tord pulls them on. He found his gun in his pocket and aimed it at the door.  
Tom quickly stepped forward and pushed his arms down.  
“Tord no murder of friends is bad.”  
“I won't have any friends anymore. He needs to die.” His eyes were crazed, and Tom grabbed his wrists.  
“Tord. No. Bad.”  
“But necessary.”  
“What about your memory eraser gun?”  
“Broken. Lemme GO!” Tord struggled against Tom's firm grip, but Tom held on till he stopped again.  
“Make another one.”  
“Good idea, except I dONT HAVE THE MATERIALS.”  
“I'm gonna keep holding on till you give me your gun and promise not to kill Matt.”  
Tord glowers at the wall for a couple minutes, then says “fine.” He releases his gun. “I won't kill him.”  
“Because if you do I'm leaving.”  
Tord grumbles under his breath but nods.  
Tom releases him and glances at Tord. “Lets clean you up first, that's a, uh, lot of blood.”  
“And who's fault is that?”  
Tom blushes. “Doesn't matter. Go into the bathroom, I'll bring pants for you. Show're if you want, if not I'll help you wash the blood and, uh, stuff off.”  
Tord narrows his eyes at him but does as he asks, then turns and looks over his shoulder in the mirror to see how bad the gashes are.  
He shivers. Pretty bad. Would definitely scar.  
Tom comes in with a soft wet rag, pants pulled all the way up now. “Show me.”  
Tord turns his back to Tom, who whistles. “Ow.”  
“I know.”  
“I'm going to have to clean that. You have any alcohol?”  
Tord shuddered and shook his head.  
“Doesn't matter I guess. My claws were in you either way.”  
“What's that suppose to mean?”  
“Uh. It means uh… like, how a werewolf bites you and makes you a werewolf?”  
“Yeaaaah?”  
“Well, I didn't make you a monster, but I did claim you. So you're basically bound to me. Don't worry, this couldn't get infected I think. Better to be careful though.”  
Tord narrowed his eyes. He was Tom's?  
He felt a wet cloth on his back, cleaning away the beginning to dry liquids.  
“Is Matt even still out there?” Tom pondered.  
“I'll message him if he isn't. He better be.” Tord mutters furiously.  
Tom finishes and hand him the rag to clean the rest of him off. “Look, it was a mistake.”  
“He didn't knock.”  
“He almost never knocked. This isn't even the first time he's walked in on me doing… stuff that I didn't want him to see.”  
“Whatever.”  
Tom rolled his eyes at Tords response and opens a drawer, grabbing some bandages. “I'm gonna have to wrap it.”  
“I don't really care.”  
Tom flicks his shoulder indignantly and starts at his hip, winding around and around till he ties it off at the chest.  
“Sorry. Again.”  
“Did I tell you to apologize?”  
“No.”  
“Then stop it. I'm not mad. It was… you did good.”  
Tom smiled a little at the awkward approval and hands him the roll. “Keep it and replace them when they need it.”  
Tord nods and puts them in his pocket.  
“Let's go confront him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bang bang*


	82. Reputation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this chapter is all over the place. Btw I think the end of this is coming soon, meaning maybe in a few weeks or a month or something. It's in sight, anyway.

They didn't have to look far. Or, at all. As soon as they hit the door it jarred with a loud thump as it hit Matt, who had been crouching outside their door.  
Tord reached into his back pocket, as though looking for a gun, but it wasn't there. He narrowed his eyes at Tom then stepped kinda behind him, having been more humiliated.   
Matt stood up quickly, pale and backing away slowly.  
“I'll just. Go home. And bleach these precious eyes.”  
Tom sighed and grabbed him by the ear, practically dragging him into the living room. Tord followed behind, glad Tom was taking the lead, too embarrassed to do so himself.  
Tom tossed Matt at the couch, and Matt sat, not too hurt but tearing up anyway.  
“My eeeaaarrr…”  
Tom sighed. “So what was it you needed?”  
“I left my mirror. I'm so so sorry.” He blurts, tearing up more. “I didn't mean to, I swear it. I knocked.”  
“When?”  
“Before I came in your apartment. I knocked really loud. But someone was screaming so I thought… I thought you were in trouble so I went ahead and came in.”  
Tord blushed more and covered his face. “Tom let me k-”  
“No.”  
“Please?”  
“No.”  
Tord groans and sits against the wall, uncomfortable. Might be partly because he was leaning on his gashes. Who knows.  
Tom sighed.   
“Okay-”  
“Tell us about your lab results.” Tord cuts in, from the wall.  
Matt was surprised by the change of subject.  
“Well… inconclusive. They said they'd get back to me in a couple days.”  
“Hmm.” Tord scooted over so he was behind Tom, and Matt couldn't see him.  
Tom glanced behind him then continued his own interrogation.   
“So why didn't you knock on my door?”  
“I thought you were eating.”  
“After that bloodcurdling scream? There's no way we were eating.”  
“I thought…” he paused. What was he thinking?  
“Mayyybe you were being attacked and then were celebrating your victory with food?”  
Tom facepalmed. “God, Matt. Just.., go look for your mirror.”  
Matt shivered, then slowly walked down the hall and out of sight.  
“Wow. Eventful.” Tord mutters sarcastically from behind.  
“I don't care. You can reinforce whatever, I'm jus gonna watch this time.”  
“Wait. I don't…”  
He blushes and looks away. “Nevermind.”  
Matt comes back cradling his mirror, then holding it up to look at himself. “My my I am pale.”  
Tord narrows his eyes, then walks forward and snatches his mirror. Matt grabs for it. “Hey! Give it back!”  
“You tell anyone what you saw, even HINT at it, and you'll wish you could die.”  
Matt pales more and nods quickly, then holds out his hand for the mirror. Tord curls his lip and hurls it at the wall, shattering it instantly.  
It also left a dent in the wall, he probably shouldn't have thrown with his robot arm.  
Matt cried out in horror, but Tord keeps him from going to it. “Get out.”  
Matt’s bottom lip trembles. “N-no Matt, just get out-”  
There's knocka on the door. Tord grumbles and blushes again, but jerks his head at Tom to open the door.  
Paul and Patryck walk in, Patryck grinning with an idea and Paul beginning to look confused at the situation.  
“Sir, what'd you do to your back?” Paul says with concern, and Tord turns away as he feels his face going red. “It's none of your concern.”   
Tom just smirks and waves. Patryck looks concerned for a moment then shakes his head. “Anyway, we had an idea that may appeal to the general public.”  
Matt whimpers, staring at his broken mirror.  
“Okay what happened before we came here?”  
Tord shudders. “Matt broke in at a bad time. And I think he's gonna cry.”  
Tom snickered. “And Tord can't handle crying people, now can he?”  
“Shut it Tom. Actually, don't talk at all. Just keep your mouth shut. That's an order.”  
Tom raises an eyebrow, confused, then shrugs.   
“Get out Matt. Buy yourself a new one.”  
Matt slouched away, sad faced, like he'd just witnessed the death of a loved one.  
Tord closed the door behind him, then turned back.   
Patryck sighed. “You may want to put clothes on, something presentable to the public.”   
Tord narrows his eyes, trying not to blush again. “Fine, but why?”  
“Because you're going to an elementary school.”  
“Wh- since when?!”  
“Well, you got a request from Mason Elementary, and you seemed too busy to answer such a small thing. Think about it, Red Leader, if you appeal to the kids then you'll be liked by the kids, the parents. That's a lot of support. And you can still keep up your fear regime when we destroy the Black Market Revolution.”  
Tord glares at him. It was a good idea, but he wasn't…  
He was vulnerable around children.   
“Fine. Is it being recorded?”  
“Yeah, live TV.”  
“Who's doing the recording?”  
“We hired a camera team. It's not a required watch though, it's viewed as one pleases.”  
“Leave it like that. I don't need to wear a fancy suit or anything… I'll wear my normal uniform. And I'll need new armor.”  
“Well, it's just kids-”  
“They'll kill me. I will die around children. I need armor.”  
Patryck snickers. “Children aren't murderers.”  
“They may as well be. They're scary.”  
“It's fine, we'll be there to get you out if it gets too overwhelming.”  
“Tom's never seen me around children.” Tord narrows his eyes, getting his point across in a less subtle way.  
“Ohhh you're worried about him seeing how good you are with them.”  
Tord glares at him, and Tom raises an eyebrow. “Good with children? I'd think he'd try to shoot them after ten seconds.”  
Paul and Patryck laugh, shaking their heads.  
“No,” Paul says, “Kids love him more than anything else. You'll see.”   
Tom grins. “Oh I want to now.”   
Tord rolls his eyes and walks into his room, picking up a shirt. He stares at it for a moment, the scratches on his back throbbing as though as a reminder.  
“Want help?” Tom says, walking in. Paul and Patryck were discussing transportation and making another armor thing.  
Tord shook his head and quickly slipped the shirt on, groaning as the gouges stretch. Tom sighs.  
“Sorry.”  
“I said stop apologizing!”  
Tom sticks his tongue out in response. “So you're good around children?”  
“Shut it.”  
“I can't wait to see this.”  
“You're going, too.”  
“Yeah, but I don't have to worry about kids crawling on me, they're scared of my…”  
His eyes widen. “Oh yeah. I don’t have my eyes anymore.”  
“Haha. You have to deal too.”  
He walks out, struggling slightly to put his jacket on. “Pat, when is it?”  
“In about half an hour. It's a special thing from 5-7.”  
“Okay.” Tord grabs a screwdriver from a compartment in his arm and messes with his arm.  
“Paul, bring me the material we used for the armor.”  
Paul nods and teleports away. Tord glances at the wall, then at Patryck, who is shifting nervously at being in the same room. When Tom came in, wearing a long sleeved blue shirt, he smiled in relief.   
“So, what were you two up to before Paul and I came?”  
Tom snickers, and Tord turns right back around and walks into his room, starting to clean up.  
Tom walks up to Pat and whispers in his ear, “Why don't you tell us what you and Paul were doing, first.”  
Patryck opens his mouth to answer, smirking slightly. Then freezes, blush climbing up his neck. “U-um movie. Watching a movie.”  
Tom snickered. “Sure.”  
Patryck shoves him away, scowling. “None of your business.”  
“There's my answer. I'm just gonna tell you that your leader is a lot more fun to play with than you think.” Tom puts his hands in his pockets, shrugging.  
Patryck shook his head at the mental image. “Okay fine nevermind.”  
“Ha. So now you know why Matt’s mirror is everywhere. He may have been a small bit embarrassed. Oh, I can probably give his gun back now…” Tom taps his chin thoughtfully, ignoring Patryck covering his ears and humming. Paul comes back with stacks of transparent material, glances confusedly at Tom and Patryck, then walks into Tom’s room to give it to him.  
First mistake.  
The second was announcing his presence.  
“Hey, I got the stuff…”  
Paul quickly walks out in order to not be killed. It was kinda too late but.  
Tord dropped the dripping blanket and handcuffs and launches himself forward, slamming into the doorframe. “PAUL HAUL YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND GIVE ME YOUR GUN!! I HAVE TO KILL YOU NOW!!”  
Paul laughs from the other room, and Tom's laughter joins it.  
Tord clenches the doorframe tight enough with his robot hand to crush it a small bit, leaving a few finger shaped indentions.  
He goes back into the room and gets out a lighter, tossing it on the blanket.  
The smoke alarms went off, and Tom ran in. “Tord, what- WHY?!?”  
“It's okay I'll put it out.”  
“MY ROOM IS GONNA CATCH FIRE!!!”  
“I have a fire extinguisher.”  
“YOURE GONNA BURN HALF MY ROOM!”  
“Yep.”  
“WHY?!?”  
“Because there are too many witnesses. I'm getting rid of the evidence.”  
“THATS NOT SOUND LOGIC!!! PUT IT OUT OR ILL DESCRIBE TO PATRYCK EXACTLY WHAT WE DID!”  
Tord turns around, fuming (haha).  
“Don't you dare.”  
“THEN PUT IT OUT!!!”  
Tord rolled his eyes and crouched next to the fire, hovering his robot hand over it.  
In seconds, it was put out.  
Tom put a hand over his heart. “Jeezus Christ, Tord. It's not that big a deal!!!”  
“I know, you're the one freaking out.”  
“I'm not talking about the fire!!! I'm talking about us doing whatever we want!”  
Tord rolls his eyes. “No, that's not a big deal. People witnessing it is.”  
“Why?!?”  
“Reputation and dignity must be upheld.”  
Patryck came in, Paul sheltered behind him. “Everything all right?”  
“Yes. Take these somewhere and melt them.” Tord tossed the handcuffs at Patryck, who caught them in confusion before the pieces fell together. He tossed them toward the front door.   
“Alright in a sec. Two things: the ambulance and firefighters are on their way, and we really should go to the elementary school.”  
Tord nodded and walked briskly out of the room. “We need to stop the ambulance and whatnot. I'll leave Paul in charge of that. Tom, you come with me. Pat, where is it?”  
“Mason Elementary, London.”  
“Great. You and Paul come when you've taken care of things.”  
He grabs Tom’s arm and teleports away, giving Paul and Patryck whiplash at his sudden change of moods. Or, it would have, if they weren't used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes there's an end. Because I can't write forever haha.


	83. Children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a cute.

They arrive at the school, in the most hidden spot of the parking lot.  
Tom smirked and elbowed Tord. “Scared?”  
“Shut it Tom.”  
Tord strides into the parking lot, to the entrance of the building. Some people had to double take when they saw him.  
Parents sheltered their children when they saw him. He walked in the doors and strode down the hallway, toward the office, Tom following. Tord burst through the doors of the office and stood in front of the desk, hands in his pockets. The secretary was looking down at her desk and monotonously said “One moment please.”  
“I suggest you go ahead and tell me where I'm supposed to go, and not keep me waiting, idiot.”  
The secretary looked up with a sigh, then gasped and stood up quickly, alert. “I-I-I-I’m so sorry sir here please go into the gym, end of the hallway. I'm so sorry-”  
“Shut up, and…” he tipped his head at her. “Thank you.” He walked out and strode quickly down the hallway.   
Tom rolled his eyes and scrambled after him, and they walk into the gym.  
Apparently Paul and Patryck were already there, and were surrounded by kids asking questions about the army. They were smiling and patting their heads, answering some of their questions and awkwardly changing the subject with others.  
The teachers notice him first and call everyone to quiet down, then to say hello to their leader.  
Everyone cheers as Tord walks in.  
Not like his army does, the teachers clap more out of obligation. The children are mostly staring at him in innocent curiosity.  
“Hello. Please, children, just call me Red..”  
A couple kids run up and grin at him. “Like the Pokémon?” Says one.  
“No, no like the army.”  
“What's it like to drive a tank?” Says a young boy, tugging on his pant leg to get his attention. The children were talking again, and more joined as they gained confidence. Tord crouches down to get to their level. “Well, I have the trigger right here, and when I press it it shoots a shell, which explodes, blowing up buildings.”  
“Why do you want us to call you Red?” Asks a young girl, hand on his knee. He thinks for a moment.  
“Well, I have to keep my name secret. It's like a codename.”  
“Like a spy!” Says the girl, giggling. He shrugs. “Sure!”  
Tom stands aside, smiling as Tord is swamped with children asking questions. He almost jumps when he feels an arm wrap around his leg.  
“What's your name?” Asks a cute little girl.  
“Uh, Tom.”  
“What's wrong with your eyes?”  
“Cancer.”  
“Oh.” The girl rests her head on his leg. “I think Red is scary.”  
“Ha. You're right. He is. He even scares me sometimes.”  
A boy walks up to him, staring at him. “What's wrong with your eyes?”  
“He said he got cancer. Like my mommy.” The girl replies.  
“Are you gay?” Asks a fifth grade boy, eyes narrowed and judging.   
“Uhh, what?”  
“I said are you gay?”  
“Why… would you think that?”  
“Because you keep staring at Red like a lovestruck puppy.”  
Tom blushes and looks away. “None of your business.”  
“What's gay?” Asks the girl. Tom narrows his eyes. “A guy falling in love with a guy.”  
“Oh. There's a word for that? Why not call it just love?”  
He immediately wanted to adopt this child. “Tell me,” he says, kneeling. “What's your name?”  
“Cassy.”  
“That's a cute name. I used to call a school friend “Kass”. Her name was Kassandra though.”  
“Is it true that Red is the king of the world?”  
“Yes.”  
Tord is sitting on the ground, a young girl sitting on his outstretched leg and a boy hugging his other bent knee.  
“Then I went straight back into battle, shooting down everyone that stood in my way. I saw some sneaky bastard coming up behind me, so I whipped around and fired away.”  
The boy patted his face. “Hey, tell us a funny one.”  
“A funny story?”  
“Yeah.”  
Tord thought for a moment. “Well, that wasprobably before I became commander of my army. When I was with three of my friends.”  
“What were their names?”  
“Well, I can't say, so I'll just call them Green and Purple. The other was Tom, right here.”  
“Green like the Green Revolt?”  
“Uh, yeah.”  
“Are you friends with the Green Revolt King?”  
“I was. Let's not talk about that now, let me tell you a funny story. How about the time, before I left to join the military, when we went to hell.”  
“Yay!”  
Tom limped over to Tord, an hour later, with the same little girl wrapped around his leg.  
“And then Tom showed up, out of nowhere. I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ And he says back, ‘What are YOU doing HERE?’ Pointing at the wanted poster aggressively. Then-”  
“T- Sir, isn't it time to go soon?”  
Tord looked up, half the kids sitting around him and a couple sitting in his lap, one of them giggling and messing with his hair. “Is that so?”  
Paul came over as well, kids absent, and grinned. “Yep. I know you don't want to disentangle yourself.”  
Tord narrows his eyes. “Let me finish the story.”  
The kids cheered, agreeing.  
Tom sbickered. “Alright then. I'll watch.”  
Tord blushed and looked away. “Ehm, if you want to.”  
Tom sat, the girl moving into his lap, and a couple kids crawled over and asked about his eyes.  
Another kid crawled up to Tord and laid between his legs, head resting on his chest, and fell asleep almost instantly.  
“Ahh jeez.” Tord said, petting the boys hair. “Now I really can't move. Alright, who wants to hear the rest of my story?”  
“ME!” Was shouted back at him, and he chuckled. “Alright, so finally, I pressed the big red button.”  
“Oooo what was in it?” Was chorused at him. He chuckled. “My hat! Remember the hat I told you about?”  
They giggle and affirm.  
“It goes really well with my giant robot! I pressed it again.”  
“What?!” They stare at him in anticipation, and he grins. “A chute appeared around me, and it shot me down into the cockpit of a giant red robot, which was pushed up into their backyard. And I shot at the house, trying to kill Tom. He knew too much.”  
“But,” says a girl in his lap, “I thought you loved him?”  
Tord blushes and pets her. “No, not yet. That was after I got this.” He shows off his robot arm.  
“Can I be your daughter?”  
Tord blushed more, and put his hands on the ground, holding himself up. “No, no no. You already have a mama.”  
She frowns. “My mommy is mean. She doesn't let me have candy.”  
“Oh? Well what if I said I wouldn't let you have ice cream? Or pizza? I wouldn't let you have friends, or eat.”  
She grins. “That's okay, as long as you're there.”  
He rolls his eyes. “Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?”  
“Yes!” Everyone shouts.  
“Alright…” he continues, every once in a while being asked an odd question. They gasped at the right times, and laughed at others.  
Tom grinned, watching him. He's found his weakness.  
“Red! Kiss your boyfriend!” Some random fourth grader in the crowd shouts, and he is so flustered he can't even answer.  
Tom rolls his eyes. “No, not in front of cameras.”  
Some genius shouts back, “There are no cameras in the bathroom! Kiss kiss kiss kiss!”  
Tord sighs. “I already disabled all the cameras in the school. But no.”  
Tom inched closer, sitting next to him.   
“Why not?!” Shouts someone else, amid the beginning of a “kiss kiss kiss” chant.  
“Because… in front of you…”  
Tom whispered in his ear, “Why would you deny them a show?”  
Tord blushed, and hissed back, “Don't encourage them-”  
But it was too late, the chant had caught on and everyone was waiting.  
Tord glares at the ceiling, and Tom kissed his cheek.  
There was small cheering but they were still chanting. Tord finally turned to Tom, grabbed his face (startling the kid who had been hugging his robot arm) and kissed him. He meant to make it quick, but Tom grabbed him back and made it heated. He figured, if they really wanted it he would make it more than they bargained for.  
He licked Tord's lips, but was refused entrance and pushed away, Tord panting just barely and glaring.  
Some shouted in glee.  
Others said “eewwww kissing.”  
Tord shook awake the kid laying asleep on him, whispering that he had to go. The kid hugged him then got off, sleepily rubbing his eyes.  
“Aww” said the girl on one of his legs. “Do you have to leave?”  
“Yeah I promised I would go after I finished my story.”  
“Can you come back next week?” Said the kid on his other leg, getting off. The girl got off as well.  
“I… don't think so.”  
The kid looked like he was about to cry. “But…”  
“Nononono please don't cry pleaaase.” The kid, against Tord's will, started to cry.  
Tord whimpers, then hugs him, patting him awkwardly. “Please stop crying. I don't know how to deal.”  
A parent came and saved him, picking up hia child. “I'm sorry,” he says, “he gets very attached very quickly.” The boy is rubbing one of his eyes, using his other to wave. He hiccups as he speaks.  
“Goodbye Red!”  
Tord hugs him. “Bye bye”  
The kid walks away, still crying. Adults are interspersed through the crowd, picking up their chuldren. One girl runs up and kisses him on the cheek, then giggles and runs away. Tord blushed, smothered by hugs (and a spontaneous pile up) as kids say goodbye.  
Soon only the stragglers remain, still waiting to be picked up.  
One kindergartener walked up.  
“Can you take me to my home? My mommy is at the hospital.”   
Tord stares, unable to stand the cuteness. “I… I can take you home yes.”  
He leans over and whispers to Tom, “Can I keep her?”  
“No.” He whispers back.  
“My sissy is at home but she can't drive.”  
Tord nods. “Alright, come on then. It's time for us to go.”  
“Yay!” She grabs his robot hand to walk outside, then she looks around. “Where's your car?”  
He snickered and crouched down to face her. “Tell me your address.”  
She proudly stated, “1475 Edgerow!” He nodded and grabbed her hand. “We are going to teleport.”  
She stared at him in amazement, and he grinned, teleporting away.  
Her house stood in front of them, and she had just gone inside, waving, “Thank you, Red!”  
He waved and grinned. Then slumped.  
“You tired Tord?”  
“Yeah. Kids tire me out.”  
“You were so excited around them.” Tom grins. “You were like a kid yourself.”  
“You can shut your mouth Tom, or I will shut it for you. I'm going to my office.” He says, teleporting away.


	84. Stabbed and Threatened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha THATS ENOUGH FLUFF FOR NOW   
> LETS DO FEELS AGAIN  
> WE DONT HAVE ENOUGH OF THOSE  
> So yeah I'm at a church camp I hate it because I have to pretend I hate gayness to
> 
> When really  
> I don't care what genitalia you have  
> I will like you or not.  
> Why does gender matter?  
> Yeah I'm bi.   
> I just wish the world would be okay with it already. It's not a bad thing. Ugh.

He’s laying on the desk when Tom gets back.  
“You're not asleep are you?” He murmurs, since Tord's eyes are closed.   
“I was till you got here.”  
Tom narrowed his eyes. “I came a couple minutes after you did. You couldn't have- TORD STOP IT.”  
Tord was snoring, and yelps as Tom pokes his side, sliding off the desk and crashing to the ground.  
Tom raises an eyebrow.  
“Owwww” Tord says, standing up.  
Tom pokes his side again, and Tord yelps again and whacks his hand away, jumping back. “Tom no!”  
Tom grinned. “Tom yes.” He wrestled Tord to the ground. Well, he tried. He had underestimated Tord's strength when he actually wanted to get away.   
He kneed Tom in the gut and shoved him off, making Tom hunch over, wincing. “Ow. Alright, you asked for it. Fight me.”  
Tord cracked the knuckles on his flesh hand. “Bring it.”  
Tom took a couple steps back, already changing slightly. Barely. He had baby horns poking out of the top of his head, teeth maybe a millimeter larger, nails slightly sharper.   
Strength slightly stronger.  
He leaps at Tord, who easily stopped him and grabbed his wrist, flipping Tom over his shoulder and slamming him on his back. After a moment of gasping like a dying fish, Tom stands up, now half changed into a beast. Horns out of his head, tail, clawed hands and slightly swollen arms, eyes glaring. He took a couple rasping breaths and leapt again, dodged, and body slammed Tord to the ground. He's still shifting, his monstrous form starting to take over.  
That's when Tord remembers he has no armor. Which means if Tom misunderstands his strength, he could be in actual danger. In a burst of adrenaline he shoves Tom off, unsheathing his sword.  
“Tom, stop.”  
Tom roars at him, past the point of no return. He shrinks back a little at the sight of the sword, then roars and leaps at him. Tord thrusts his arm up, not knowing exactly where it would hit.  
And for some reason, he happened to find a soft spot, right at Tom's solar plexus.  
Tord paled. “Oh god no.” The sword had sunk halfway down the blade, meaning it was poking out of Tom's jacket on the other side.  
“DRITT NEI!!” He shouts, and doesn't pull the sword out as he sets Tom down, dripping blood nonetheless. Tom was clutching the blade, eyes wide, blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. He was struggling to breathe, and his eyes rolled digitally as he passed out, spasming once. Tord whimpered, trying to keep panicked tears back. He tried to message Paul or Patryck, but his screen was disabled while fighting. He was shaking, hope starting to slip away. He had to get to his desk.  
He had to, even if it meant hurting Tom. He ripped his sword out, and Tom gave a little gasp as blood spurted out, then made a river down the side of his body. Tord quickly went to his desk, messaged Paul and Patryck (giving parting remarks with the elementary school teachers) to come as fast as they can, and turned back to Tom, stripping his jacket and shirt off and pressing it against both sides of the wound. When Patryck and Paul show up a couple seconds later, Tord has tears streaked down his cheeks, and is leaning heavily on Tom, stopping the blood.  
It seemed to have stopped a little, but it still needed to be pressed, to keep it stemmed.  
He grits his teeth, not looking up, knowing how he looks. “Help me, please.”  
Patryck narrows his eyes. Finally getting a taste of his own medicine.  
Paul glances at him, then at Tord, who's looked up. Looking angry. “HELP ME! Pick him up, take him to a hospital. At the very least, help me tie this around his chest! Please!”  
Patryck looks away, but sighs and kneels, helping pick up Tom. Paul gets on his other side, and they hoist him up, then Tord tells them to take him to his hospital, and follows them, wiping his eyes and shouting that he needed assistance, then goes into the room as Paul and Patryck lay him down.  
Tom was still half shifted, as though purposely using his quicker healing. Patryck stepped back as the doctors came in, took in the sight, and immediately went to work.  
Tord is shaking, leaning against the wall. Patryck stands in front of him, stone faced.   
Tord narrows his eyes. “What?”  
“What happened to him?”  
“We were… messing around and he started attacking me. So I stabbed him.”  
Patryck's eyes widen. “Why?”  
“Because… he was too strong in his monster form? We were wrestling, okay? You can stop questioning me now, and-” he grabs Patryck's chin, hissing up close to his face. “Stop having that smug look, like I got what I deserved, Drittsekk.”  
He pushes him away and stares at Tom, tapping his fingers nervously.  
He ends up standing there for about an hour, only leaving once to freak out where no one could see him.  
Tom didn't wake, and when the doctors left after surgery, he knelt by the bed, still shaking with the fear. “Tom wake up.”  
Tom murmurs and wiggles, then opens his digital eyes. He tries to sit up but Tord had his hands on his shoulders, knowing his first reaction. Tom growls at him and Tord puts a finger to his lips.   
“Shush, you'll make it worse.”  
Tom growled again, then reached for Tord with one clawed hand. Tord took it, slightly confused, until Tom pulled him closer and hugged him, nuzzling his chest. He seemed happy, for whatever reason.  
Tord patted his head, and Tom quickly sat back, starting to shift back to normal.  
Then he shouted in pain and reverted to half monster, stretching the stitches when his size changed.  
“Yeah don't do that either. I'm really sorry. You attacked me and I-”  
Tom growls at him, then coughed harshly, spraying a little blood from his mouth.  
Tord paled. “Are you okay?”  
Tom shook his head and rasps in a breath, wincing.  
“How much… does it hurt?”  
The door opens, and Tord thinks nothing of it, doesn't bother to turn around.  
Until he feels a knife at his neck, a gun pressed against his head. Tom stared in disbelief, stiring up quickly, ignoring his pain. His disbelief slowly turns to anger.  
“Hello Tord. Care to come with us?”


	85. Travel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha I love pain.

Tord gritted his teeth. How could he be caught like this?!  
Oh. He hadn't had a chance to secure the building, which he usually does when he enters it. He'd been passed out sick.  
And he hadn't worried about it after, assuming it’d already be done.   
But what about Paul and Patryck?! Probably off doing something gross somewhere.   
And Tom was stuck in bed. Although he looked like he was about to leap out of it and attack anyone in his path.  
His attacker was smart, using the gun and the knife. If it had been one or the other, Tord would get out easily. But his moves required only getting one at a time, and he was trapped.  
He thought of all of this in less than a second. Gritting his teeth, he said to Tom, “Don't get up. Injury.”  
He thought quickly about the add ons of his robot arm. He could message Paul and Pat, but it would show.  
Tom. Tom could message them.  
But Tord couldn't tell him that.  
He was trapped.  
“Where do you want to take me?”  
“Back to our headquarters. The headquarters of the Black Market.”  
“What are you wearing?”  
“I suppose you'll have to wait and see. Walk out, or I'll blow your brains out.”  
And Tord grinned. That was his ticket out, if he expanded on it. He let her lead him out.  
“Link your hands behind your back.”  
“And if I don't?”  
“I'll slice you open.”  
Tord cursed under his breath and linked his fingers behind his back. Ticket gone. If she'd been dependent on her gun, he could get out, possibly. Now he has to wait for Paul and Patryck to come.  
“What happened to your back?”  
Tord gritted his teeth. He was shirtless, so his bloody bandages were shown. “None of your business.”  
“I think it's all of my business, if you fear death like most humans do.” They walk out the building, and went underground through a manhole.  
Greeeaaat. Less room.  
“The monster scratched me.”  
“Were you two fighting?”  
“... sure. You could say that.”  
She snickers and nudges him to the right.  
“Does it hurt?”  
“I don't know.”  
“How can you not know?”  
“Nothing is touching it. I don't know.”  
“Why don't you have a shirt on?”  
She jabs his back with the gun, and Tord hisses in pain. “Stop it. I was using it to stem the blood.”  
She presses the gun on one of his scratches, and drags it heavily down his back. Tord groans, but was quickly thinking again. The gun was no longer at his head, which meant if she shot, she probably wouldn't kill him. Not only that, she wasn't aiming at his spine. She was taunting him, instead. If he knocked the knife away, he could turn and hit her hand away.  
Only problem, his hands were behind his back. She'd catch him before he could move the knife away.  
Pain shot from his back, making him fall to a knee. She was pressing the hammer of the gun into his scratch, and it hurt like hell.  
“Stop it!” He shouted, and she laughed. “Oh, you're going to be getting worse than this, trust me. Now get up. We're almost there.”  
Tord licked his lips and stood, clenching his hands to hide his shaking. He needed Paul and Patryck right now. He'd never been caught like this. He'd always been careful. And he'd never had someone so thorough trying to kidnap him.  
They reached a hatch, and Tord saw his chance, one of many he had considered. Until it opened on its own, and three people, dressed in all black, poked their heads into the opening. “Woah, you really got him?”  
“Guys. I was proved to be the top of my class in assassination. Yes, I actually got him.”  
One of them shrugs, and comes down in the hole. “Alright, go on up.”  
Tord stands still for a moment, wondering what would happen. The girl flips her gun and hits his back with the handle, making him grunt in pain.  
“Move.”  
He glares at the wall and unlinked his hands, climbing up the ladder in barely more than a second. He is immediately grabbed by the two at the top, who pin his arms behind his back and point the gun at his head.   
“No stupid moves or one of us will kill you.”  
Tord doesn't answer. They take him down the hall and lock him in a room, saying before they left, “We will be back in less than half an hour. Don't break out or alarms will sound.”  
Tord smirked. There was no sign of an alarm, hidden or not.  
He quickly wiped his smile away, and was shoved in, but refused to fall. He turns around quickly as they slam the door, and hears the lock click.  
Time to try to bust himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also had deep conversations today with my friend


	86. Torture and Rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I felt bloodthirsty at 12 at night so here you go.
> 
> WARNING GORE TORTURE NEEDLES AND STUFF

By the time they opened the door again, Tord was utterly baffled. None of his escape techniques were working. He’d even tried the electronic unlock, but it hadn't found any lock. There wasn't the normal large crack between the bottom of the door and the floor, or the top, or the side.  
He tried sliding his sword between the tiny cracks, and though it fit, it didn't hit anything.  
He sat back, his panic starting to increase, but mostly filled with confusion. How did they do it?!  
He got a message on his arm, and quickly looked at it.   
“Where are you? We can come get you out.”  
Tord checked his GPS, but it showed nothing. He tried to remember the instructions from the subway tunnel, and relayed it as best he could. He sent it, then sent another message, outlining the importance.  
“I'm locked in a room, but I think they're going to torture me. And I can't escape, they're too smart about how they do it.”  
He let out a shuddering breath and swiped the screen away.  
And bided his time, continuing to mess with the handleless door.  
Suddenly it opened, sliding into the wall. Tord narrowed his eyes at it, then looked up at the people standing in the doorway. They both held guns at him. “Get up. We're taking you to the interrogation room.”  
Tord didn't show his fear, standing up and letting them get behind him, pushing him out the door. He suddenly stopped outside the room they'd been leading him to, unable for a moment to push himself to go in. They made the choice for him, jabbing him with their guns and shoving him in, making him stumble slightly.  
Tord shivers, staring at the chair they were indicating for him to sit in. He swallowed, knowing that if they were going to torture him, he was probably going to scream. Hopefully they wouldn't do it as well as he did.  
He gritted his teeth, and wouldn't budge as soon as they were next to the chair.  
They had to wrestle him onto it, his human instincts kicking in and he lashed out at them, telling them to let go, them having to call in someone else to pin him down and fasten restraints. He still struggled against them, wanting out.  
An odd person came in, dressed like a mix of doctor and blacksmith.  
Tord knew why a second later, as he lifts up a flap in the wall to reveal a furnace, pulling tongs out of his pocket to get something out.  
Tord paled, as the man pulled out a long and thin and white hot piece of metal.  
The doctor smith came over and set it down, then inserted it in a sheath, with a long needle shaped metal sticking out, still sizzling with heat.  
“I think you know how the drill. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll stick this in places that won't fatally injure you, but will cause immense pain. It will go straight through, and will not bleed.”  
Tord clenches his teeth and eyes shut, hands fisted. There were some things he couldn't say, even if his life depended on it.  
“What is your real name?”  
Tord glares at him. “You al-lready know i-it.”  
His voice wouldn't stop trembling, and he opened his eyes again as he heard a clink.   
He was picking up the needle.  
“Tord! My name is Tord.”  
He smiled and set it down.  
“Now, another testing question, before we get down to business.”  
Tord gritted his teeth.  
“What is the name of the person you are in love with?”  
Tord closes his eyes. “Tom.”  
“Good. Now. Describe to me your plans for your advance against the Green Revolt tomorrow.”  
Tord's eyes widened. Bad question number one.  
His screams soon fill the room, as he feels the needle sinking through his hip, then his screams get louder as it goes through his bone. He swore it was boiling his marrow.  
He felt it pulled out, and is left gasping for breath, sweat covering his whole body, his hip sizzling.  
“Would you like to try again?”  
“We're attacking the south side!”  
Tord grits his teeth, entire body tensed. The doctor stuck the needle back in the furnace, then pulled it out again.  
“We-we're sending our soldiers in the tunnels and up into the- DONT STICK THAT IN ME AGAIN!!!”  
“I'm sorry.” The doctor says, coldly. “I just don't believe you.”  
“STOP, PLEASE!!!” Tord screamed again as he put it in the other hip.  
He had lied, that was their backup plan. He screamed, and screamed, and the doctor pulled out the needle again and reinserted it into the furnace, taking out a second needle and putting it in the sheath.  
He stopped screaming when his hip stopped glowing, and was straining against his restraints. He groaned, and held his breath, but nothing made the pain go away.  
“I also make sure that you stay awake during all of this. So until you tell me what I need to know, you won't be going to sleep anytime soon.”  
Tord shuts his eyes, sobbing from the fear and pain.  
“I-I’m sending a group to the south side, then focusing my efforts on- PLEASE I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!! PLEASE JUST LISTEN!!”  
The doctor raised an eyebrow as he lifted up the needle. “I won't yet. Just checking the temperature.” He touches some sort of thermometer to it, then switched the needle out for abother one from the furnace. The whole time Tord sobs and babbles his entire plan out to the doctor.  
“Good. You're learning. Now, who is the one person that you would hate to see killed?”  
Tord shuts his eyes again, struggling against his bonds, screaming to be let out. The doctor sighs, lifting the needle and grabbing one of his hands, where small restraints popped up to hold his hand open. Tord screamed again, in fear, and the doctor gave him one last chance.  
“Who would you least like to see killed? Your boyfriend?”  
Tord shouted at him, telling him no and to leave Tom alone, and the doctor rolls his eyes.  
“You're like a child, you really don't learn.”  
But he didn't put it in his hand. He'd save that for later. Instead, he walked up to his head, then hovered the tip above his eyepatch, quickly taken off to reveal his bad eye, glancing around frantically. He knew it was no use closing his eyes, so he pleaded with the doctor instead, asking for a different question.  
The needle sunk into his eye, and he screamed once again.  
Suddenly the door opened, and gunshots filled the room. The doctor quickly took the needle out, dropping it on the floor after it glanced off of Tord's shoulder, and the doctor fell to the ground, dead with a bullet to his chest and head.  
Tord whimpered, glad the torture was over but not fully able to comprehend it until Patryck was undoing his straps.   
Blood didn't pour from any of Tord's wounds, except for his eye. Blood trickled down his face like tears, and he held a hand over his eye, crying.   
“Sir, can you get up?”  
Instead of thinking about it, Tord sat up quickly, then stood, then screamed and collapsed to his knees, having to be held up by Paul and Patryck. It didn't help his pain at all.  
“Sir we need to drag you out.”  
“Please, please get me out of here. Please.”  
“Sir, we understand, save your strength.”  
Tord screamed again as they started dragging him forward, and Patryck glanced at Paul in worry. “Should I-”  
“Yes.”  
Patryck shivered then knelt down. “I'm going to have to carry you, I'll make it as painless as possible.” He picked Tord up, whose whimpers were starting to die down, and hooked his arms around his neck, putting his arm under Tord's legs and lifting him up, and dashed alongside Paul as he took the lead, shooting anyone that came in the way.  
Patryck almost tripped over a body, then shouted at Paul to push the bodies aside.  
Paul flipped him off and shot someone else, then suddenly disappeared into the ground. Patryck hopped down as well, and Tord shouted as they landed.  
But his shout was a lot quieter, and Patryck was starting to worry.  
He ran down the sewer tunnels, then hear pursuit after them.  
He runs harder. He has to save his injured leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahaha I write too much pain.


	87. Healing and Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I an so fucking tired right now and this is short but I'll write more later. I'm just about to fall asleep. But I'm at camp so I can't.

Gunshots ring around them as they continue running down the tunnels, and Paul calls back to Patryck, telling him directions. Suddenly he skids to a stop and a soldier, someone random, pulls up a manhole, helping Paul up then helping hoist Tord up. Tord was still awake, but he was in too much pain to do more than moan.   
Patryck hoists himself out then picks up Tord again, running off the empty street and into the hospital, going upstairs and kicking open a door. He lays Tord on the bed, and two waiting doctors hook him onto IV, making him pass out almost instantly.  
“Holy shit…” one of the doctors says, opening his eye, and looking at the hole in his hips. “What did they do?”  
“Tortured him. Stuck hot metal through his body. Make sure he won't die.”  
The doctor nods and keeps Tord's bad eye open, shining a flashlight on it and glancing at Patryck. “We might have to take it out, to prevent a spread of damage.”  
Patryck shakes his head and pinches his eyebrows, mad at the situation. “We need him to wake up soon so we can find out what he's told them.”  
“You think he's told them something important?”  
“I think that anybody would do anything to get out of a situation like that.”  
The doctor nods and gets to work, setting up an x-ray.  
A few minutes after the x-ray, the doctor thrusts a film at Patryck. “This is worse than I thought.”  
“Why?”  
“The needle went into his brain. Whoever was torturing him wasn’t careful enough. We need to start surgery, which means I need you two gone. Give me that.”  
He snatched the film back and examined it, then locked the door after they left.  
Paul and Patryck went to Tom's room. They'd had to knock him out, because he'd almost turned full monster and attacked the doctors, ripping his stitches.  
They'd tied him down, afraid he'd hurt himself.  
He was awake now, glaring at the ceiling, till half turned. He looked over at them when they came in, and growled, “I need to go get him. I need to rescue him.”  
Patryck shook his head. “We already did.”  
Tom tried to sit up, but couldn't. “Is he okay?”  
“Uh, yeah, he’ll survive.”  
“Is. He. Hurt?” Tom licked his lips with a pointed purple tongue.  
“I… yes. Look, I can take you to see him if you promise not to attack anyone, and if you let us take you over in a wheelchair.”  
Tom nodded, looking away.  
“I need to hear you.”  
“I won't attack anyone and I will let you take me in a wheel freaking chair.”  
Paul snorted and rolled one in, and Patryck unstrapped Tom. He sat up himself, wincing slightly as his pain meds couldn't block all of the pain, and gets on it.  
Paul wheels hIm outside Tord's room, and Tom started looking a little pale.   
Patryck watches carefully, then narrows his eyes. “You should go back.”  
“Fuck you no.”  
He glares at them. “What are they doing?”  
“Uh. Surgery.”  
“What happened to him?!”  
Patryck looks away, rubbing his neck.  
“He can tell you when he wakes up.”  
Tom growls at him, tail flicking by his ankle. He waited, then looked away. The door opened and a doctor came out, blood on her hands. She yelped as Tom grabbed her, eyes wide at him.  
“What happened to him?” He growled.  
She shook her head, eyes wide, and Paul pried his hand away.  
“Leave her be.”  
“H-he will be done in a couple minutes.”  
She takes a step back, then runs off.  
Tom grunts and puts a shaking and clawed hand to his chest, wincing at his pain.  
“Do you need more painkillers?”  
Tom growls at him in response and suddenly the door opens, the doctors nodding at them. “He's doing okay but we need your insight on something.”  
He addresses Patryck, who nods and walks in, Paul pushing Tom in.   
Tom sits cross legged, rebelling against the wheelchair.  
Tord was still out, bandages wrapped around his head, and shirtless with bandages replaced around his back and now his hips.  
Tom stood and sat on the bed, staring at Tord.  
“What happened?”  
Tord whimpers and shifts, then his eye opens. He whimpers again, eyes wide with bad memories. “Shit.”  
Paul sat forward. “Look, I know you don't want to think about it, but we have to know what you told him.”  
“I told him our plans for invasion.” He sits up quickly then shouts in agony, flopping back down. “Shite again. It hurts.”  
“They put you on painkillers.”  
“There's only so much you can do for… for what he did to me.”  
Tom growled and put a hand on his thigh. “What happened? They won't tell me.”  
Tord stares at him for a moment, then looks away. “They tortured me for information.”  
Tom’s digital eyes widened, and he leaned forward. “How?”  
“Fucking- it was a needle, a burning hot needle, no, it was bigger. And he stuck it in my hips and eye. What more do you need?”  
Tom stares at him for a moment. “Ahhhh shit. God, he put it in your… eye?”  
He stares at the wall, just for a moment, then clenches his teeth. When thinking about Tord being hurt like that, it drove him into murderous rage. Suddenly he felt a hand clench on his arm.   
“Tom, stop.”  
“I'm gonna kill them.”  
“He's already dead.”  
“Then I'll bring him back to life and then throw him in a furnace. He needs to be burned alive.”  
“Tom.”  
“Who was it that did this to you?”  
“Tom I've been through worse.”  
Tom stared at him. “You're not serious.”  
“I mean. I am kinda. I had to go through simulations before I joined the military so I could build up a pain tolerance. It worked at first then started backtracking so I gave up. But seriously, Tom, he's dead.”  
Tom glares at him. “Where’s Matt?”  
Tord shrugs. “I sent him away, I don't know where he is now. Why?”  
“Can we bring him here?”  
Tord sighs and gestures to Paul, who messages him.  
“Now guys, we need to come up with another plan. Otherwise we are screwed. And Tom.”  
He stares at him for a moment. “I think they're after you. Stay with me at all times.”


	88. Tord Is Insane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late guys, I've been sleeping a lot the past couple days because I didn't get much at camp.  
> Sorry!!!  
> Anyway yeahslightly gorey.  
> Because yay.

Tom gripped the receptions desk with clawed hands. He'd been ordered not to shift back, because it would hurt his stitches.  
He didn't have a problem with that.  
What he did have a problem with was the fact that the hospital had their supply of medication stopped. Which included pain killers, healing solutions, IV sedation.  
He also had a problem with the fact that no one could be able to find Matt, anywhere.  
He ALSO had a problem with keeping himself partly shifted. He so wanted to lash out right now.  
NOT ONLY THAT!  
He wasn't allowed to see Tord, because since they didn't have access to medical supplies, they had to ration his pain medication, and he couldn't be stressed.  
AND they had to perform surgery on him again, to take out his eye.  
Tom turned and shoved his fist through the wall, and was instantly grabbed by two of the staff.  
It wasn't hard to subdue him, with his injury.  
Paul and Patryck seemed just as agitated as he was, pacing in the lobby and snapping at anyone nearby. At one point Patryck had thrown a chair, which was now in the wall with insulation still spilling out, and Paul had quickly put an arm around him, trying to calm him down.  
Hospital staff were behind the counter, debating hitting patients over the head to knock them out to do surgery.  
Some people come out of the hallway, one holding a biohazard bag with a burnt eyeball in it. Tom quickly grabbed one and growled in her face. “How is he? Can we see him?”  
“H-he's awake, he will be fine we had to put him on laughing gas, it's the best we have right now.”  
“I'm going in.” He tosses her away and storms into the room, where Tord is curled up, giggling softly.  
“Shit.” He sighs and facepalms. “You're no use drugged up like this.” He walks back out to talk to Paul and Patryck. “I'm taking over again. There's no use sitting around when we've clearly got an em-”  
“Sir, we have another problem.”  
Tom growls, long and low, fed up with this kind of thing. “What now?!?”  
“Our food sources have been cut off. The Black Market Revolution is apparently a lot bigger than we think, and they're spread out, bombing ammunition and food trucks. I do have good news though, but it's confusing.” Paul pauses. “The nuclear waste is gone from the base. We have already ordered as many available soldiers as possible to recon.”  
Tom nods halfheartedly. “Fine fine. We need to stop them though. I think that whether Tord is up for it or not, we need to attack. They're getting worse, and we need to take them out.”  
Pat and Paul glance at each other.  
“But, sir, you're a vital part of the-”  
“We're scrapping that plan, remember?!? We need a head on strong front, put our best cavalry right at their doors. Then have two small groups go around the side, and infiltrate while they're busy. I think…. I think we need to look for Matt. I don't know where he is.”  
“With all due respect, have you checked his tracker sir?”  
Tom glares at him. “I can't, I don't have a phone or anything. And until we are sure the radiation is gone I don't want to go back to base. If one of you will check, that would be great.”  
Paul glances at Patryck then got out his phone, checking. Tom continued to order plans for an assault, and Patryck realized where his plan was coming from.  
It matched what the Black Market whatever had done to the Red Army base, with a few tweaks, and more organized.  
He almost laughed aloud at this, and nodded along. “That sounds great sir, but you don't plan on joining this, do you?”  
Tom frowned. “No.”  
But Patryck could tell he was lying.  
“Your injuries prevent you from changing all the way, you could seriously injure yourself.”  
“Since when was it your business?”  
Patryck narrowed his eyes. “With all due respect, it's been my business since Red Leader took you in.”  
Tom snorted and didn't answer.  
“Look, if he wakes up and you're dead he will kill us. He-”  
“Guys listen.” Paul waved his arm. “I found Matt. He's in their base. I think he'd been captured.”  
Tom throws his hands up. “Wonderful. Just perfect.”  
He paces, then they hear a groan of pain from Tord's room. Tom quickly goes in and sees Tord pale and sweating on the bed.  
“Hurts like shit.” Tord pants out, gripping his sheets.  
“Great. You're not gonna like what I have to say then.”  
Tord barely refrains from rolling his eye. “Lo-lovely. Look, I have a question.” He points at the gauze over his now missing eye. “Did they fucking take my eye out?”  
“Yes, they did. Make yourself a new one if you hate it so much. But I need you to listen. Are you still high?”  
“No, dammit, and I fucking want to be.”  
“Too bad I've got info for you. Matt has been taken by them, our supply of food is nil, and they're running out of drugs, so sorry. I'm setting up an attack on their base. Yea or nay?”  
“That's bs. All of that.”  
“It's happening, so we gotta react.”  
“Why do they keep letting us go just to take people away again?! Don't they know…”   
Tord suddenly turns his head to Tom so fast he's surprised he doesn't get whiplash.  
“Tord?”  
“I figured it out. Ha!” He sits up, as though the pain is forgotten. Tom takes a step back.  
Tord looks frightening. His one eye is wide and his mouth has broken into a huge grin. He grips the bed, and is silent for a moment. Then he laughs again, throwing his head back.  
“Ahhhh, they are GENIUS!!!” He stares at Tom as his grins gets impossibly wider.  
He may be grinning, but Tom could tell he was furious. Insanely furious.  
Paul and Patryck come in, confused by the laughter. “What…?”  
“They've been studying me. This is how they know so much, they study me when I go to break one of you out. Genius! It pisses me off SO. FUCKING. MUCH!!!”  
He punctuates each word by punching the mattress.  
Paul sighs and puts his face in his hands. “We have to do this again?”  
Tord’s head snaps toward them. “You. Yes. Find me someone I can kill.”  
“Yes sir.” They report glumly and start searching for prisoners with a death sentence.  
Tord's leg bounces and he's silent, his grin gone almost as fast as it came. His eyes are still wide though, and he just stares at the floor.  
He starts to get impatient, and snaps at   
Tom is just standing there, eyebrow. “I'm… so confused.”  
“I murder when I'm mad. What is TAKING THEM SO LONG?!?”  
He stands up and paces, then grabs a scalpel and stabs it into the bed.  
“Alright well can I borrow your screen? I need to message the new plan to the entire- don't your hips hurt?!?”  
“I don't feel pain. What is pain? It's what I am. I AM PAIN. You know why? Because everyone fears me except the masochists!”  
“Oh jeez you're insane. Nevermind about the screen I’m just kinda gonna stay on the other side of the room.”  
Tord turns toward him and smiles sweetly, beckoning with one finger.  
“Don't be like that Tommee. Come here!”  
Tom shakes his head and leans against the wall, then yelps and jumps away, barely missing the syringe that thinks into the wall.  
He glances up in shock then hears the door open. “Sir! Stop attacking him we found one.”  
“It's about time!” Tord gets that creepy grin again and stares at the prisoner they push into the room, who just looks insolent.  
“Wow nice joker face.” He sticks his tongue out, then yelps as Tord just grabs said tongue, narrowing his eyes. No, eye.  
He holds up the syringe, having pulled it out of the wall.  
“You're annoying me already. Maybe I should cut that tongue out for you. You'd like that, wouldn't you?”  
The prisoner is starting to look scared, and Tord grins and sticks the syringe all the way through, keeping it from going in without ripping it off. The prisoner tried to scream, but it requires pulling his tongue in, and he's left with a groan.  
“Alright, now that we've got your attitude sorted out, let's work on your execution.” Tord examines him up and down, as though figuring out the best way to kill him.  
“Paul, Pat, be a dear and hold him, will you?”  
That phrase alone was terrifying.  
They grabbed his arms and legs, and Tord stood over him.  
“I think I'll just slice you open. Or maybe I'll puncture your lungs. I can't decide.”  
The man shakes his head quickly, eyes wide and terrified  
“Oh you don't like that? Which one? Ah, it doesn't matter, I've already decided. Is there a blade bigger than a scalpel? I'd rather not waste too much time.”  
He pauses. “Actually, scrap that, I have one.” He unsheathed his sword and proceeds to cut his limbs off before stabbing both his lungs and watching him choke to death on his own blood.  
He steps back, sobering. Then he turns and glares at Paul and Patryck.  
“Why didn't you stop me?! I told you last time not to- FAEN THAT HURTS!!!”  
He collapsed on the floor and clutched his eye, groaning.  
“Aaaagh whyyy did you let me do it?!?”  
Paul sighs as Patryck picks him up and sets him on the bed.  
“With all due respect, the last time we didn't bring someone to you you chased us around the base wielding a knife until you passed out from exhaustion.”  
Tord winced, blushing slightly. “Did I? I kinda remember. Whatever, don't let me get mad like that then. Anyway, yeah, they keep capturing you guys as sort of experiments, and learn how we work. They don't care about hostages, if I'm right. Which I am.”  
“Yeah but-”  
“Shut it Tom. Seriously.”  
“Alright, but only if you tell me what exactly happened to you.”  
Tord shrugged. “Anger drove me insane. Can happen to anyone. Well, maybe not, but it's not bad as long as I can kill people. It's the same thing with your monster thing, though yours may be cuter, and also less terrifying. Make sure the doctors know this isn't my blood, and take the body away.”  
“Sir, getting your bandages soaked in blood may not have been the best way to go. Infections and whatnot.”  
Tord shrugged again. “It's fiiiiiine it hurts but it's fine. I'll survive. Besides, it's already done. Now. Tell me everything again, I forgot it in anger.”  
Tom sighs and repeats everything that's going on.  
“Oh lovely you can't survive half an hour without me. Fine. Give me a pen and paper, and I'll write out EXACTLY - ow… - what you should do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit a lamp post with my dad's car and now I'm depressed.  
> Anyway.


	89. Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fight. If you like it as much as I had fun writing it, then this was a successful chapter.

Tom marched at the head of an army of soldiers, half transformed. It was a couple hours after Tord's episode, and they'd gotten a shipment of medical supplies. Tom was healed enough that they took his stitches off, thanks to his monster self, and Tord finally got meds that put him back to sleep.  
Tord had approved of his plan, and despite his worries, put him at the head of the charge at the front door. “You-” Tord had said sternly, “Are NOT allowed to die!!! I will kill you if you do.”  
Tom had agreed, and the doctors had cautioned him about changing while his wound was healing.  
He'd held a meeting and gathered all of the soldiers they could spare, and told them the plan. As soon as he had, they'd secretly been tracked, so that if they tried to tell anyone what the plan was, it would kill them.  
Harsh, but necessary.  
Which let him to where he was now, leading a large group of soldiers right up to the front door of the base. Three soldiers behind him held a sort of makeshift bomb, that they'd attach to the door and blow it in.  
He stepped aside and signaled for them to do so.  
They latched it into the door and activated it, then they all moved back ten feet.  
Three…  
Two…  
One…  
The door blows in, it's weight crushing a few soldiers on the other side. They struggle to clamber over the door and bodies, and Tom roars at them, loud enough to make some cover their ears, the signal to charge.  
They ran forward and attacked, and Tom didn't realize it, but he was growing, turning into his full monster form.  
Screw doctors, this was war.  
He flung at least five soldiers against the wall with one swipe, and roared in annoyance as several bullets bounced off of his shoulder, leaving a welt. He jumped forward and bit two guys in half, then swallowed. He had been hungry. Not that he had any control, but-  
He cleared out the hallway quickly, noticing that some soldiers had retreated.  
He heard some of his own soldiers shouting at him to go right, but the Green Revolt soldiers had gone left. He chased after his escaped prey, five of his own soldiers following him as he chased each one and but their head off, or grabbing them in his mouth and shaking them, snapping their bones, and tossing them against the wall.  
When he hunted them all down he turned in circles, sniffing for more humans to kill, not noticing his own soldiers. They had a good smell. Not food.  
He suddenly ran down a corridor, toward the smell of blood, and joined back in with the main group, attacking any food he smelled.  
They headed deeper into the compound, and were halfway through when Tom felt an actual wound in his underside.  
He roared and sat back, lifting up his front legs to see a sword sunk into his previous wound, a soldier jumping for it then cowering at Tom's angry gaze.  
He swallowed him whole.  
He clawed at the sword, then felt his soldiers trying to calm him down so they could help him.  
But it just made him angrier, and he roared at them before bounding after the bad guys, ignoring the pools of blood left behind. He felt the handle catch on something and snap in half, and he roared again, thrashing his tail and feeling two of his soldiers’ bones break against him.  
He didn't care.  
He attacked more fiercely, but his wound was starting to get to him. He limped slower as he chased people.  
He was also starting to get full, and sleepy. His lack of blood probably didn't help.  
He stopped and sat down as his soldiers waged war, snapping up any soldiers that came near him.  
His own soldiers pushed at him, trying to get him up again, but he didn't feel like it. He growled at them, then laid down.  
He growled angrily as some of the bad guys started stabbing at him, and flicked his tail, throwing a couple back.  
The rest backed off when they saw he wasn't a threat, and attacked the soldiers instead.  
Tom was about to fall asleep when another scent crossed his blood covered nose. He sat up and sniffed, then stood and walked toward the scent.  
He head butted a door, making it fall off it's hinges, and smelled his friend inside. The ginger hair.  
The name didn't register in this form, but he roared happy greetings and stuck his head in (the rest of his body wouldn't fit).  
Matt dropped the glass of water he was holding and shrieked, high pitched.  
Tom flattened his ears irritably and snorted at him.  
Matt was standing in a room full of technological equipment, seeming to take pictures, and for some reason (comical effect) had been holding a glass of water.  
He blubbered stupidly, then his eyes widened. “Wait, are you Tom?!”  
Tom snorted at him again. Human squeaking was adorable. He knew what they said, but mostly didn't care. Killing was more important.  
He blinked his one giant eye.  
“I'm going to take that as a yes?” Matt walked up and patted his nose, smiling now. As soon as he realized Tom wasn't a threat, he thought he was adorable. Matt hugged his head awkwardly, then stepped back. “Tell me Tom, could you be my valiant steed? I would love to ride you into battle, wielding an axe and shouting some chant! Everyone would praise about their hero, Matt the Magnificent!!!”  
Tom rolled his eye, though Matt wouldn't be able to tell. He stood up, pulling his head out of the hole that used to be a doorway. Why not? He was sleepy and full, but maybe he could play around longer. He grabbed Matt in his teeth by the back of his jacket, swinging his head around to place Matt between his boulder blades. He let out a roar and charged down the hallway, toward the smell and sound of fighting.  
Without Tom, the fighting had taken a turn for the worst. His soldiers fell like dominoes, overwhelmed by the Green Revolt.  
Tom roared, and his soldiers looked at him in awe and new relief.  
He briefly registered Matt yelling like a maniac on his back, before he charged and literally just body slammed the wave of soldiers, almost throwing Matt off but pushing back the bad guys. He sat up and licked his teeth. He couldn't fit any more in is over full stomach, but he could fill his mouth with the taste.  
He snapped some of them out and spat them out, then ran forward and crushed them under his feet.  
They were squishy. He bounced around on the pile of living and dead bodies for a moment, then looked up, noticing some soldiers coming for them.  
They held guns that looked kinda different. Tom didn't care. He ran after them to bounce on them playfully as well, but they shot at him.  
It felt kinda different, not like bullets but…  
He looked down at his chest, which was littered with tranquilizer darts.  
And started to sway, before falling over with a loud “oomph”, and started to fall asleep.  
The last thing he remembered before passing out was Matt's face, seeming to get bigger as he shrunk back into his normal self, shouting at him to get up, he couldn't lose his valiant steed!  
Tom wakes up in a comfy bed, and really wished he hadn't.  
His stomach felt full to bursting, and that was bad enough, but when he remembered where it came from, he immediately vomited over the side of the bed, hating the blood color of the throw up.  
He wiped his mouth, then realized his hands were covered in blood as well.  
He looked around. He was in his room at the apartments, and his clothes were shredded.  
He stood up shakily, then yelled and grabbed his stomach.  
Oh yeah, someone had reopened his wound. At least it was mostly healed.  
Tom stood and stumbled to the bathroom, washing out his mouth, then washing his hands and face. Remembering his playful jumping around, he glances at his feet. Sure enough, they were also covered in blood. He sighed and took off his ripped clothes, turning on the shower and getting in.  
He just let the water wash over him, contemplating how he'd gotten to his apartment. Did Tord bring him here?  
No, he'd still be in bed. Probably Matt then, which meant he'd gotten out of the battle alive. How did it go?  
He made sure all the blood was gone, scrubbing a couple places that were dry and flaky, then turned off the water. He opened the curtain, then yelped and used it to cover himself when he realized Matt was in there.  
“Matt!!! What have I told you about knocking?!?”  
“Oh yeah! Sorry. I just heard the shower on and came to check to make sure you were alive.”  
“I'm alive!! Get out!!!”  
“Do you want me to bring you clothes?”  
Tom blushed bright red. He didn't expect anyone to be there, so he hadn't brought any extra into the bathroom.  
He muttered, “Yes, please.”  
Matt gave him a thumbs up and a wink and walks out, closing the door.  
Tom quickly pulled the curtain so that it covered him better, and waited.  
Matt came in with an armful of what looked like randomly picked clothes, including a zip up black jacket he forgot he had, a bikini top he’d REALLY forgotten he had, and two pairs of basketball shorts.  
“This good?”  
Tom sighed. “Yeah, that's fine. Just set it on the floor and leave.”  
Matt dropped everything (on top of his ratty blood soaked clothes) and left… not closing the door.  
Matt was such a naive guy sometimes, and a klutz.  
Tom pulled on a pair of shorts and carried the rest to his room, tossing them aside as he looked for and changed into real clothes.  
Matt walked in while he was tugging his hoodie on, and asked how he was doing.  
“Ugh, I'm fine. I need to clean up my…” re glances nextto the bed, at the blood colored puddle. “Mess, now. I hate it when I eat people.”  
He sighs and goes to find a bucket and mop, despite it being carpet.  
Matt trotted after him. “Do you want to know how the battle went?”  
“Only if you tell the truth, and not some overglorified tale.”  
“Of course I'm on a tell the truth! When do I not?”  
Tom cast a sideways glance at him.  
“Fine. I'll make it boring.” Matt narrows his eyes. “You passed out, Paul carried you away, and we had to leave when we kept dying.”  
Tom sighed. “We probably lowered their population a lot, but we probably lowered ours as well. How's Tord, do you know?”  
“Still asleep. He's so much more relaxed when he's asleep.”  
Tom remembers nights when they slept together, and he'd wake up way early in the morning and watch him, then pretend to sleep when Tord woke up.  
Tord was relaxed, then. He was cute.  
Tom nodded. “Let's go there then. Should I grab a bottle of Smirnoff first?”  
“If you want to, I have no opinion on the matter.”  
Tom shrugged. “Nah. I need me mind for this. I'll drink later. Come on Matt, let's go check on Tord. After I clean up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sorta imagine Monster Tom having the high and mighty thoughts like a dragon, like, "humans are so cute and squishy. They make cute noises too. They also taste really good."


	90. Aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is late, short, and uneventful but I'm having writers block and I don't know what to do next.  
> Also I've been busy the past couple days I'm sorryyyyy

Tord woke up an hour later, kinda woozy but able to talk to them.  
“So you didn't completely take them over…”  
Tom shook his head. “No, sir. But I think they're scared of me now. I ate like two thirds of them.”  
Tord raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak, but Tom cut him off, growling. “It's not cannibalism so don't even start.”  
“I wasn't gonna say that…” Tord looked away guiltily.  
“Sure you weren't. Anyway, I threw it all up earlier so you don't have to give me that look.”  
Tord muttered, “wasn't giving you a look.” Then he shrugged. “So you found Matt.”  
“Yeah, my sense of smell in that form is incredibly good. I'm also more reliant on smell, as my sight isn't as good.”  
“Really?”  
“Well, not as good as smell.”  
“Interesting. So how much, percentage wise, of their army do you think they've eliminated?”  
Tom shifter from foot to foot. “Um…” he hesitates. “I don't know? A lot? I wasn't uh, keeping track.”  
“It was about three quarters of them, sir.” Paul said from by the door. Tord glanced over at him. “Alright. Do you think they might have a secret base, underground?”  
There was a subtly hidden message in those words. A hint at something Tom didn't understand.  
Tom glanced between the two as Paul thought of an answer.  
“Possibly, sir.”  
“Perfect. Great.” Tord sighed and laid back down. “Tom, stay in here, will you? Matt, go with Paul and Pat to manage the army for a bit.”  
Patryck wiggles his eyebrows as he left, and Tord immediately threw a syringe at the closing door. “Bastards.” He muttered.  
“So, uh, why did you want me to stay?”  
Tord narrowed his eye at Tom. “Why wouldn't I want you to stay?” Tord sat up, sitting sideways on the bed, and beckoned toward Tom.  
Tom hesitated, then grinned. “Good point.” He walked toward Tord then yelped ad Tord grabbed his hoodie strings and pulled him down into a kiss.  
Tord didn't eat go for about half a minute, making Tom straddle him if he wanted to be comfortable.   
Tord finally let go and put his arms around Tom, nuzzling his shoulder. “Thank God you're okay. I hated myself for putting you at the head of a charge, even if it was the most logical way. Did you get hurt?”  
Tom's digital eyes widened. Tord had gone from Leader to softie in the span of a few seconds.  
“Um. The bullets couldn't get in me but someone stabbed me in the stomach and reopened my wound.”  
Tord pulled away quickly. “What?!”  
“It's fine, it's still mostly healed. I just lost a bit of blood, is all.”  
Tord narrowed his eye, disbelieving. “Show me.”  
Tom rolled his eyes and pulled up his shirt and hoodie. The healing scar had a fresh cut right over it, but it wasn't bleeding, and didn't seem to have too much internal damage.  
“I swear to God if it hurts at all tell me and I'll get someone to fix it.”  
Tom nodded, and Tord let go, allowing Tom to get off his lap.   
Instead Tom scooted closer, resting his head on Tord's shoulder.  
He sighed. “I'm tired. I know I passed out for a little while, but it's not the same. I want to sleep. And I know my muscles are going to be sore later.”  
Tord hummed in response. “You can sleep if you want. If we get attacked I'll wake you up.”  
Tom pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Sleep here?”  
Tord gestured to the bed next to him. “There's room for two.”  
Tom narrowed his eyes. “Only if we cud- oh. You wanna cuddle.”  
Tord narrowed his eyes at him but didn't say anything, and Tom put his head back on Tord's shoulder. “Sure, if you don't care who sees. And I know you're on drugs so you can't feel it, but don't strain your wounds either.”  
Tord sighed. “I wish there was a way to-”  
He stopped. Tom hummed in curiosity.  
“What if we could replicate your speed healing?”  
For some reason, Tom’s instincts screamed no. But since he didn't see a logical problem with it, he shrugged. “Sure. You want me to go to the labs?”  
Tord hesitated. “No, it'll be fi- stop leaning on me! Just lay down if you're going to!”  
Tom chuckled and got off of Tord, laying down, facing him. “So you think they ca-can replicate my speed healing?”  
Tord nodded. “I don't see why not. We already have that stuff that the doctor oh so long ago gave us, but your healing would speed it up.”  
Tom shrugged. “Alright. I should probably go then, so if it does work you can heal faster.”  
Tord grabbed his sleeve as he got up to leave and whined, “But I want you heeeere.”  
“Jeez Tord I'll be back afterwards, just like half an hour I swear.”  
Tord narrowed his eyes and let go.  
“Fine.”  
Tom walked out, and teleported to the labs. They took a blood test of him as a human, then had him partially change so they could take another one, then sent him away.  
He came back to the room, not 20 minutes later, and rolled his eyes. Tord was cuddling with a couple pillows, asleep. He was drooling and Tom noticed a pillow on the ground, covered in-  
“Woah there Tord. At least dispose of your sex toys properly, jeez.” Tom carefully picked it up, touching as little of it as he could, and threw it in a biohazard bin.  
He also cleaned the floor out of consideration.  
Then he stuck his tongue out at Tord's sleeping body and left. He was going to leave a note, until he had to clean up after him.  
“Gross.”


	91. A/N

ANNOUNCEMENT  
Alright guys, uh.  
See I don't really know how to continue this. I have a very very vague concept of what I'm going to do next.  
So anyway, I'm going for to go on hiatus until probably when I get back from my trip to Poland (July 16 or something.) and maybe a couple days after. I just don't know what to do.  
THIS FIC IS NOT DEAD!!! I WILL BE BACK!!!  
Plz be patient.  
I'm going to focus my attention on my other fics: Tord in School (Soulmate AU)  
And TomTord Trash (one shots)  
That's all.


	92. Beginning Of a Several Chapter Plot Twist Number 576

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back, this is short I'm sorry. A bit bummed bc my dad said everything short of "I hate you" and I have no idea why.

When Tord wakes up, to his disappointment, it's not Tom he's cuddling but a few pillows. He sighs and closes his eyes for a little while longer, but he can't sleep again.  
He sits up. He doesn't want to stay in this hospital any longer than he needs to, and according to the doctors his flesh was knitting together and his wounds were stitched.  
They warned no excessive movement, walking is okay. Jogging and running is not. Neither is falling.  
He turned to the side of the bed, about to get up, then he finally sees who's in the room with him. He jumps back to the other side of the bed and unsheathed his sword, ready to fight, angry at being caught asleep.  
Edd just laughed. “Oh my god your FACE!!!”  
Tord narrows his eyes and waits. He was shirtless, bandages over his upper torso, and wearing just boxers. He waited, and Edd quickly stopped laughing. “Okay, uh, this is awkward.” Edd scratched his neck uncertainly.  
Tord growled his words out. “What do you want? I swear if you don't speak soon I will vault over this bed and slice your head off.”  
Edd held up his hands in surrender. “I'm not- ugh.” He sighs. “This is embarrassing. I need your help.”  
Tord is genuinely confused. Then he rolls his eye. “Very funny Edd. Can I kill you now? You caught me at a bad time.”  
“You're asking?”  
Tord growled at him, fed up, and vaulted over the bed. Edd yelped and crashed backward. “No wait! I really need your help and I-” he choked as Tord pressed the sword against his neck, pinning him against the wall. “What are you here for Edd?! How did you find me?!”  
“I- I can't-” he gasped for breath, then hoarsely whispered “The Black Market Revolution told me before I left.”  
“Left?”  
“I need to take them back. Please help me.”  
Tord dropped him to the ground, genuinely astonished. Edd grabbed his throat and coughed, raspily.  
“Explain. Quickly now, or I'll kill you. I'll probably kill you anyway for catching me unawares and asleep like that.”  
Edd winced. “Okay. Well. The Black Market Revolution took over my entire army and they're less of a revolt against you and more of a violence initiator. I left, and me and a few accomplices are trying to find help, to get it back. We need… we need your help, to get my army back. Then, maybe, once they're gone, we can come to some sort of truce?”  
Tord narrowed his eyes. “I have a better idea. I kill you now, and-”  
“I know where all of the secret passageways are. And the secret weapons. Not to mention the rest of the secret army.”  
“How do I know you're telling the truth?”  
“I… thought it might come to this.”  
Tord held up his sword in preparation as Tord fished around inside his hoodie, them brought out-  
“You still have that?”  
“Yeah.”  
Edd held up his lucky can as an offering. “If I lie, you can toss it into an incinerator.”  
“You'd give up that?”  
Tord laughed, then snatched at the chain. He knew how important it was.  
“Fine. But you will do everything I say, without flaw. Understand?”  
Edd nods quickly.  
“Or else you go in the incinerator.”  
Tord tosses the lucky can into one of his drawers and snapped at Edd, gesturing for him to stand up.  
Edd quickly scrambled to his feet, and Tord spun him around and practically slammed him against the wall, grabbing his wrists and cuffing them.  
He backed away. “Don't know why I didn't do that first.” He texted Tom to meet him at Tom's apartment, not saying why.  
And as soon as he teleported there, Edd in tow, he was worried.  
Tom was there, it wasn't like he was missing.  
Tom was curled up in a fetus position on the ground, hugging his knees, and half changed into his monster form.  
He was shivering, sweat soaked, and tears dropped from his tightly shut eyes.   
He turned to Edd. “You, stay put, and not a peep out of you.”  
“What's wrong wi-” he stopped when a sword was held to his throat, then swallowed and nodded fearfully.  
Tord crouched down next to Tom and cautiously placed a hand on Tom's shoulder.  
Tom's eyes snapped open and stared at Tord, then he groaned and closed them again, pulling his legs closer.  
Tord noticed he felt warm, and whispered to him. “Is it the, uh. The heat?”  
Tom just barely shook his head no, then uncurled suddenly and held a hand to his mouth, and whipped Tord with his tail as he ran off into the bathroom, and Tord heard reaching from inside.  
He tied Edd's ankles and attached him to the bedroom door handle before following Tom into the bathroom, where he'd collapsed against the bathtub and was whimpering.  
“What's wrong Tom?”  
“It hurts so bad. Tord, it hurts. I don't know what they did.”  
“What hurts?”  
“Everything.”  
“I, uh, are you hungry?”  
“No! Yes. I don't know, I just want it to go away!”  
“What who did?”  
“The scientists!” Tom closed his mouth with a groan, and Tord carefully picked him up, carried him into their room, and set him on the bed. Edd watched with a curious expression the whole while.  
“Just sleep Tom. I'll go talk to them.”  
Tom groaned in response, and Tord untied Edd and carefully closed the door.  
The labs. He'd sent Tom to the labs to see if they could replicate his healing power.  
When Tord teleported there, he immediately collapsed with a gasp. He'd forgotten he was hurt, but now the pain meds were wearing off.  
“Can- uh. Can I talk now?”  
“Fine.” Tord grunted, standing back up. “But if you annoy me I'll kill you.”  
“Okay. Maybe not then.”  
They walked down the hallway and Tord ordered the front desk to send the ones that worked on Tom.  
As he stood waiting, he felt one thing for certain.  
He would kill anyone that hurt his Tom.


	93. Interrogation number 16403

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or something like that.  
> Sorry it's so short!!! I'm still thinking about how I'm gonna continue this! I know what I want to do semi-long term, but not how to get there.

“He wasn't like that before!” One of the three doctors pleaded. “He was fine! He wasn't even dizzy from the blood tests! Please, there was nothing wrong with him before, I don't know what's wrong with him now!!!”  
“Oh, is that so? In that case you're no use to me anymore.” Tord held up his gun to shoot the man in the face.  
The three were tied to chairs, and two of them were gagged. One of them had been chosen to plead their case, and if they didn't satisfy him then they'd be shot once in each leg, once in each arm, then left to fester in the hot room before being killed.  
Tord was the master of revenge.  
“No! Please! Please, just wait for the tests to come back! They'll say what's wrong, maybe he's allergic to something!”  
Tord tilted his head, giving him one last chance. “And if it comes back inconclusive?”  
“I- we can help give him medication specifically to help his monster form, we could continue our research and find his healing substance, please, just let us live!”  
Tord tapped the tip of the gun to his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm…”  
He took aim and shot both of the mans kneecaps, then proceeded to do the same to the other two. Then he put away his gun. “Your whiny voice was annoying me. I'll give you a chance to fix it, and be successful in your research for a medicinal cure. If you disappoint me, you won't have to worry about being paralyzed for much longer.”  
He ignored their groans and screams of pain and murmured to the two guards by the door. “Don't let them get doctors. Give them wheelchairs and alcohol to clean the wounds. That's it.” He brought his gun out to twirl menacingly. “Understood?”  
They saluted him and responded, “Sir yes sir!” And he nodded approvingly. “Alright. I'm finished with them for two days. At most.”  
He grabbed Edd from them and teleported back to Tom's apartment, peeking in his bedroom. Tom was still curled, whimpering and sweating like it was mid summer. But, despite his obvious discomfort, he seemed to be asleep.  
Tord carefully closed the door and sighed. His boyfriend was helpless. Tord had no idea what was wrong with him, but he figured that whatever happened was over. It would be a waste of time not to continue the tests. The sooner Tord was healed the better.  
He limped into the living room and laid down. Not on the couch. On the floor.  
Edd stood there uncertainly. “Uhhh…”  
“I'll get to you later. I'm sleeping now.”  
“You're trusting me in Tom's apartment all by myself wi-”  
“Fine asshole come here.”  
Edd sighed and came closer, and Tord chained his hand to the arm of the rocking chair, then the chair to the couch.  
“Good luck getting out of that without waking me up.”  
Tord rolled over and went to sleep.


	94. In Order to Keep Your Army...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh I swear this is a freaking short chapter. I'm getting writers block again.  
> I'm sorryyyyy I'll try to work on that. The next one will be longer, but it will probably also take longer to update. Because writers block.

When Tord woke up, Tom was talking to Edd. Rather, Edd was explaining the situation.  
“The Black Revolution has taken over my revolt and I'm trying to get my army back. That's why I need Tord's help.”  
“Ha. He actually listened to you?”  
“Well… I gave him my lucky can.”  
“Oh wow you're serious.”  
“Yes!”  
Tom snickered. “So tell me. Are you the one who had them capture him and um, interrogate him?”  
You could almost see a murderous gleam on his digital eyes, and Edd lowered his head a little.  
“Tom. That's WHY I left. I don't like what they're doing.”  
“He's gonna make you tell him your secrets.”  
“Yeah I know. I agreed to come to a truce to get my army back, and speaking Tord, that means ‘You do and give me what I want and I'll think about it.’”  
Tom almost laughed, and Tord sat up, eyes narrowed. “I wouldn't flat out say that. That's stupid.”  
“That's why I said speaking Tord. Anyway, help? Question mark?”  
Tord rolled his eyes. “Yes I'll help you, but keep in mind I really want to kill you.”  
“No you don't.” Tom piped up. “You've been friends with him for years. You don't WANT to kill him.”  
“Shut up Tom. Fine maybe I don't want to per se, but I would be fine with it. I won't forget what his stupid army did to you.”  
Edd rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you that wasn't me?”  
“And what about your hologram coming and leading your army to infiltrate? So many people died, and Paul almost did. If I let Patryck near you he will kill you.”  
Edd narrowed his eyes, not responding.   
Tord sighed. “Doesn't matter, not now. I agree that your army needs to be stopped. Obviously. But, first, I need to work out our truce.”  
Edd bites his lip. “Okay…”  
Tord sat on the couch and crossed his legs, looking Edd in the eye.  
He had his serious face on, which tended to scare most of his soldiers. Edd looked nervous, but not as though he actually feared what Tord would ask for.  
“So I help you stop the Black Market Revolution, and take them over, and put you back in charge?”  
Edd nodded uncertainly.  
“And maybe come to a truce with me?”  
Edd nodded again.  
Tord thought for a minute.  
“How about this. I help you get your position back. You tell me all the secrets. After all of this is over, I'll give you a country that you can rule. Maybe the UK. Maybe. I'll rule everything else.”  
Edd cut in. “I won't be ruling. I-”  
“I honestly don't care how you do it. Anyway, here's the catch.”  
He grinned. “I'll leave you your country. I still expect to reside here undisturbed, and conduct my work from my base. Otherwise, I'll leave you well enough alone. However. Ha, I guess this is another catch.”  
He grins. “You work for me. You help me keep control, and you keep me updated on your army. To keep your army, you have to enlist in mine.”


	95. Heal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorryyyyyy  
> Here's your chapter  
> Sorry it took so long  
> I'm working on it.

Edd's eyes narrow. “You pull a hard bargain.”  
“Hahaha well it's do that or die your choice.” Tord unsheathed his sword, holding it up with a smirk.  
“So it's not a choice at all is it?”  
“Not really.”  
“Fine. Deal.”  
Tord smirked. “Well, you'd be no use to me all tied up.” He cut the ropes. “Tom, are you… feeling okay?”  
Tom smiled at him. “No.”  
“What's wrong? Now, I mean. You must be better, you could barely even talk earlier-”  
“I just feel sick, is all. Fever, my body aches. And I feel weak. Weaker than if I was a stick figure.”  
He stops smiling. “That's kinda why I'm still stuck here, instead of going to lay down somewhere comfortable where no one's bothering me and making my headache worse.”  
“Wait- you can't walk?”  
“I did earlier. Just dashed over here with what energy I had left from sleeping.”  
Edd leans toward Tord. “It was pretty funny, actually.”  
“Shut up. I'm still trying to be mad at you.”  
Edd raised an eyebrow. “So, I know we argue now because we're on different sides. And now we're arguing. And you're, you know.” He gestured at Tom and Tord. “So how did this happen?!? I'm hurt, so confused. You used to blow up houses with your arguments.”  
Tord honestly had no idea.   
“We secretly fancied each other? I secretly admired him?” Tom replied for him. “Otherwise I'm not sure. It just happened.” Tom groaned and clutched his stomach. “Agh, I'm gonna throw up.”  
Edd quickly backed away and picked up his feet to avoid the splash zone.  
Tord gave him a cold glance and moved closer. “You want me to help you go to the bat-”  
“No. I'll be f-” he suddenly gurgled and covered his mouth, then doubled over and threw up on the floor. When he stopped, he wiped his mouth in disgust. “I… sorry, I didn't think…”  
“It's fine. Ew.”  
Tord sighed and helped Tom walk to his room, lay down.  
“Just… get better. Half shift if you have to, or if you can. To help you heal. Or don't, if it hurts you more. I don't know.”  
“I'll figure it out Tord. Leave. I'm tired.”  
“Are you ordering me around?” Tord teasingly puts his hands on his hips.  
“It's not like you're not used to it. I boss you around all the time.”  
“What? No you don-”  
“When we're in bed I do.” Tom flips him off. “Now get out before I throw up on you.”  
Tord glares at him and storms out, closing the door.  
“Alright Edd come on. We were planning a secondary siege to round off our first one. So tell me their hideouts, their secret base, the number of soldiers, the weak points in their bases structures, secret weapons. I want to know all of it.”  
They spent the next couple hours putting up a strategy, which Tord then discussed with Paul and Patryck, approved, and notified the section of army chosen to join them about the plan.  
It would take effect in three days.  
Then he got a message from the labs, saying they'd developed a serum based off of Tom's DNA testing that should speed up healing by 200%.  
He requested a vial, to be picked up by Paul, and slowly walked to Tom's room, pushing open the door gently.  
Tom was curled up, asleep, and panting for breath. Tord walked over and knelt down, leaning his head on the bed.  
“Tom?” He whispered.  
Tom's digital eyes snapped open, and Tord noticed that the dots showing his eyes were purple now, not green like when he'd programmed them.  
There was a barely visible purple glow surrounding the headset as well.  
Tord reached his hand out and cupped Tom's face, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. “Are you okay?”  
Tom shook his head and leaned slightly into Tord's touch.  
“But I'll be fine.” His voice was slightly growly, and Tord realized Tom was half shifted. Horns poked out of his head and his hands were clawed slightly.  
Tord sighed. “Are you feeling better though?”  
“Yeah, I'm not dying anymore. Still feel like shit though.”  
Tord pulled his hand away. “Were you sick? Maybe you're allergic to latex.”  
“I'm allergic to cut grass and believe me, it doesn't feel like that. Besides, I haven't had a problem with latex before.”  
Tord raised an eyebrow. “Allergic to cut grass?”  
“I went rolling around in it when I was twelve. It wasn't fun.”  
Tord grinned. “Is that so? Well, I suppose you should know that a serum has been developed from your blood samples, they're sending out samples. It's been tested of course.”  
He paused. “Would it help heal you?”  
Tom chuckled, then groaned and clutched his stomach. “Ah- I don't think so. I'm already half shifted and everything.”  
“So… what's the deal with your eyes? It hasn't done that even when you were half shifted before. Well, it did when you had eyes.”  
Tom looked confused. “Eyes? Why, what's wrong with them?”  
“Uh… they turned from green to purple.”  
“Maybe it's because I'm sick.”  
“Hmm. Maybe.”  
Tord stood and sat on Tom's bed. Tom whimpered as the bed moved. “Stop.”  
“Sorry.” Tord felt his forehead. Normal, ish.  
Tom narrowed his eyes. “I'm always warmer when I'm shifted.”  
“Hmm, is that so?”  
Tom flicked his tongue at him, then closed his eyes as Tord started combing his hair with his fingers. And petting him.  
Tord chuckled as he heard a soft rumble from Tom's half shifted form, and realized he was asleep.  
He stayed there for a while longer, then carefully got up, trying not to wake him up, and left.  
Paul stood there with a tiny bottle, chatting with Patryck. As Tord walked in, smiling slightly, Paul looked up. “Oh, sir, here you go. I didn't want to uh… look for you…just in case you were… busy…” Patryck elbowed him, frowning.  
Tord glared at him. “Thanks, Paul.” He snatched the vial and sat on the couch, reading the instructions.  
He lifted up his shirt, moving the bandages aside. He winced, then took a measured sip of the stuff.  
He watched (shivering with the weird feeling) as slowly his wound sped up healing, the wound getting smaller and cleaner until it was a small prick hole.  
He felt the incision in his eye socket moving as well, closing up,  
It was the weirdest feeling ever.  
Then he heard Tom scream.


	96. Dissolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gaaaaaaaaaah  
> Sorry it tooook sooooo looooong I'm sorryyyyyy  
> Anyway this ones longer here you go  
> I was going to do it yesterday but my dad was an ass and took my phone for no reason. Anyway.

“Tom?” Tord stood up quickly, then dashed to Tom's room. His scream had quieted and he was clutching his face, back arched and groaning.  
Tord rushed forward and grabbed his wrists. “Tom?! What's wrong?!”  
Tom didn't answer. It was almost like he didn't notice Tord at all.  
Tord moved his hands away from his face, and Tom's digital eyes were squeezed shut, making sideways v’s. It may have been funny if not for the situation.  
But nothing seemed to be wrong, except that Tom was in pain.  
What if it was internal? Could his cancer have come back somehow?  
“Tom! Answer me, what's wrong?!?”  
Tom coughed and opened his eyes, whimpering with each breath, and stared at Tord.  
“What did you do?!?” He said, whispering high pitched.  
“I- I didn't- what hurts?”  
Tom groaned and pointed at his eye. Then his hand moved down.  
And gestured to one hip. Then the other.  
“What did you do?”  
Tord's eyes widened. He pulled down the waistband of Tom's pants so he could check, but there was nothing there. He suddenly realized something and messaged the labs, telling them to hold their medications and call back the ones that may have been recently sent out.  
“Tom I don't know I took the- the thing and I don't know why it did that.”  
Tom growled and started scratching at the eyepiece. “Take it off. Take it off take it off my EYE HURTS TAKE IT OFF-”  
“Tom stop! It's not actually hurt, I don't know what's wrong-”  
Tom sat up quickly and grabbed Tord by the jacket, growling in his face. “The problem is that you experimented on a monster.” Tom groaned and let go, curling up. “You took my healing and used it on others and now whatever affects you affects me too and I can't do SHIT ABOUT IT!!”  
Tord took a step back. “I…”  
“Leave me alone.” Tom winced and pressed a palm against his eyepiece. “Just leave me alone.”  
Tord swallowed, then put his hands in his pockets and walked out.  
It was his fault. Tom even blamed him.  
He narrowed his eyes. Fine, he'd do the invasion by himself. “Paul, Pat, we need to improvise our plan.”  
“What happened?”  
“Something's wrong with the medication, I recalled it. I don't know if anyone else got it, but he's not able to help us right now. We've got to edit him out of it.”  
Paul and Patryck glanced at each other. “Okay-”  
“Where's Edd?”  
“Uh, he went into the bathroom.”  
“Does the bathroom have windows?”  
“No.”  
“Good.” As he said it Edd walked out, glancing at Tord. He walked over. “What's wrong with-”  
“None o your business.”  
A scream drowned out their conversation, and Tord flinched, glancing at the bedroom. “Shit.”  
He hesitated, but as the scream died down he went back to work.  
A report dinged on Tord's screen, and he took a look. Then raised an eyebrow.  
“Look at this.”  
It was a report of a sudden drop in soldiers. Not by too much, but if it continued it would be a problem. He messaged one and called him to his office. “Come with me, Edd and Paul. Patryck, you stay here and… make sure Tom doesn't die.”  
Tord grabbed Edd's arm and teleported them to his office, where the camera showed a man standing outside.  
He opened the door and waved him in. The man looked nervous, fiddling with his hat. “You're not going to kill me are you?”  
“Not yet. Why did you resign?”  
Straight to the point.  
The man cleared his throat, then looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet. “I can't tell you.”  
Tord raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”  
The man raised his head and glared at him. “Kill me if you want, I can't tell you!”  
Time for deductions then.   
Clearly this man was willing to give up his life to keep his secret.  
That, or he was forced to. Something worse than death would happen to him if he didn't say.  
To him, or to someone he cares about.  
“Paul, check and see if all of the resigned have families.”  
The man paled. “You're not going to-”  
“Shut up.” Tord glanced at his screen. “Jason.”  
“Yes, sir, I think they do.”  
Tord glances at Patryck. “Okay thank you.”  
He looks back at Jason. “Why can't you tell me?”  
“I… can't tell you that either.”  
“Hmm okay time for a different approach.” Tord pulls out a gun and points it at Jason's head. “Why can't you tell me?”  
Jason took a step back. “ I can't! They'll- I can't tell you!”  
“Who's they?”  
Jason just whimpered, staring straight at the gun. Tord lifted it and put it away. “Family being threatened?”  
Slowly, the man nods.  
“By the b-”  
“Don't say it!! They can't hear you say it if you guess they'll uh-”  
He looks at the wall. “All of them.”  
Tord held up his robot hand, scanning for chips on Jason.  
He smiled and lowered his hand. “Ah, that's too bad. Au revoir, Jason.” He shot Jason in the head.   
Then turned to Patryck. “I couldn't have him listening to us, the chip is in his head and they hear everything he does. Meaning his family is probably going to die.”  
Edd held up his hands. “We could've just teleported away.”  
“Yeah well this is pissing me off and on top of Tom's situation I needed to kill someone.” Tord puts his gun away and grabbed Edd. “Let's go back.”  
They teleported back, their numbers for soldiers steadily decreasing.  
“At this rate we'll not have enough soldiers for the-”  
“Patryck, shut up.”  
Patryck closed his mouth, glancing at Paul, who looked worried.  
“Uh, Red leader?”  
“Paul, you shut up too.”  
“It's- uh. It's just-”  
“SHUT UP!” Tord shouted, slamming his hand down on the table. “We need to come up with a solution for the dec-”  
“Tom's gone-”  
“PAUL I SA- what?!”  
“He turned into a monster and left.” Paul took a step back as Tord walked up to him, grabbing him by the collar. “What does that mean?”  
“Uh… well.. I don't know. He's somewhere in the city, rampaging, unless his monster self knows how to teleport.”  
Tord released him and punched his eyebrows with a sigh.  
“Lovely. Just lovely.”


	97. Death Stick Stabby Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nyeh he he

“You guys stay here and figure things out. I'm gonna go catch a monster.”  
“Okay. Have fun, don't die or anything.” Paul waved, busy with the blueprints and therefore unconsciously slipping into casual mode.  
Tord brushed it off. “Okay. You two are in charge of Edd.”  
Patryck nodded. “Yes, sir.”  
Tord opened his mouth to say something, gave Edd a last glare, and walked out.  
Tord looked around, noticing a broken mailbox and a turned over trash bin, and began to deduce his way through the town to find his monster.  
Back at the apartment, Paul noticed something odd in the blueprints and called Edd over.  
“What's this?”  
Edd peeked over his shoulder. “What?”  
“This space here. That can't just be solid wall.”  
“Oh that's the closet that leads down to the secret bunker, here.” Edd pointed somewhere else. “It's just for if the place gets bombed or something.”  
“That's kinda important, what if they hid there for a secret attack or something? Jeez Edd, you really don't know how this works.”  
Edd frowns and crosses his arms. “Well yeah, obviously. The only reason I started this whole rebellion thing in the first place was because your stupid leader wouldn't listen- hrkk-”  
Patryck smiled, holding Edd's throat and pressing a gun against his head. “See, Edd, there's a difference between us agreeing to help you in exchange for the collapse of your rebellion and wanting to hear your opinions about Red leader. Do us a favor and shut up. Keep your opinions to yourself.”  
Edd nodded quickly and Patryck released him.  
“Now, answer what Paul asks, and stop being a smartass.”  
Edd narrows his eyes at the floor and nods.  
It was about fifteen minutes later that Paul got a text. From Tom.  
“Come find me. I need help.”  
\--Earlier--  
Tord followed the path of destruction. At one point, he found a slight bit of blood on the tip of a broken lamppost. Probably nicked himself.  
Then he realized… the path of destruction was headed toward the Green Revolt base.  
An annoyance was now an emergency.   
He quickly activated his jet pack and took off, searching the streets quickly. He noticed, in the distance, an explosion. He also noticed a couple broken bodies on the ground as he zoomed toward the occurrence, a street away from the enemy base.  
He hovered over the fight, horrified and worried for Tom.  
Who, in full monster form, was fighting a tank.  
Two tanks.  
One of them was farther away, but the other was currently underneath Tom, who was clawing at the hatch.  
He roared as he was blasted off the tank by a shot from the other one, and he raced in its direction.  
He was blown into the air halfway between the tanks as they fired at him simultaneously.  
Tord dropped down on the first tank, opening its hatch manually and quickly killing everyone inside, before firing at the other tank, blowing it up.  
He noticed Tom getting back up, and no one coming out of the other tank, so he quickly got back out and watched the warily. “Tom?”  
The monster turned to him, then immediately bounded toward him to attack.  
Tord jumped up, taking off into the sky again, but he'd only made it so far before he felt his leg get caught by the monsters massive jaws and was slammed down to the ground almost effortlessly.  
Tord groaned, an extreme pain in his organic shoulder and not feeling his arm.  
He also felt some broken ribs. How did he keep getting hurt?!?  
He pushed himself up with his robot arm and glared at Tom, limping forward.  
This was bad.  
He unsheathed his sword and held it toward Tom.  
“Stop. Turn back.”  
He waited with bated breath as the monster paused.  
The monster recognized this scent. It didn't have emotions other than rage at being shot at, but this cute squeaky human smelled important, like a good human.  
No. It was holding death stick stabby thing.  
Bad human. Bad human taste good.  
Tom leaned forward and chomped on the sword, and most of Tord's arm.  
Tord, too injured to have reflexes, didn't pull back in time.  
He screamed as his arm was snapped away almost effortlessly. Nothing else would be able to break his arm, not easily. But apparently a hungry monster could.  
Just before Tord passed out, laying on the ground, he noticed the monster choke, the sword flying back out, covered in a little blood.  
And the monster starting to shrink.


	98. Heal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> :3  
> Just wanted to say hi

Paul and Patryck drove to Tom's tracer and got out, horrified.  
Tom was crouched over Tord, hand over his mouth, blood leaking out from under his hand. He glanced over at at Paul and Patryck and waved them over urgently.  
Paul came forward, staring at Tord. His robot arm was just gone, wires and metal shards sticking out of the new stump.  
And his leg was ravaged.  
Paul slowly knelt down to the unconscious Tord, and carefully picked him up. “How do the four of us tend to get injured so easily?”  
“This is bad. I don't know if he'll be healed by the time of the attack, and Tom? What the heck is wrong with you? You've got blood coming out of your mouth, are you sick?”  
Tom pulled his hand away and opened his mouth, showing off a gash in his tongue. He covered his mouth again.  
So he was mute for the time being. Tom's clothes were burned at the side, and the skin was red where it showed through.  
Patryck came over to him. “Do you need help walking or something?”  
Tom shook his head. Then reached his hand out. He made a wrapping motion around his occupied arm and reached his hand out.  
Patryck raised an eyebrow. “You want bandages?”  
Tom nodded.   
Patryck shrugged and motioned for Tom to follow him to the car. “I'll give it to you when we get in.”  
Tom narrowed his eyes and followed.  
They got in the car, not having enough room to do anything but lay Tord down in the back seat, across Tom's lap.  
They drove back to base, Tom taking his shirt off so he could wrap bandages around his torso, trying and failing not to drool blood onto Tord's legs.  
They got to the base and carried their leader in, rushing to the hospital wing.  
The doctor looked terrified when they came in with the broken leader. “J-j-just set him on the table he's going to need immediate surgery.”  
Paul and Patryck complied, Tom leaning against the doorway. He didn't hurt too bad, his side burned from the tanks shooting at him, and the stupid sword stabbed his tongue, but overall he was fine.  
His mind was a whole different story.  
He hated himself more than anything in the planet. He hated that this happened to him, he hated that he couldn't control himself.  
He dug his nails into his arms. He deserved whatever pain he got. It was only because he knew they needed his monster abilities that he bandaged himself in the first place, and didn't just let it infect and kill him, or whatever burns do.  
He borrowed an unused rag and cleaned the floor, and his face.  
His tongue was in pain as well.   
Why wasn't he healing as fast? His tongue was still barely bleeding, usually it would've almost healed by the time he changed back.  
He went into the bathroom, washing out his mouth, the pain of moving water almost making him cough it back up.  
Paul stood outside the surgery room, watching the doctor set up Tord.   
Dr. Philip, his name was.  
He walked out the door and rushed down the hall, looking pale. Maybe they should get a different surgeon?  
Dr.Philip came back carrying a vial and… seeming to keep it out of view.  
Paul watched him, eyes narrowed. What was he doing?  
Patryck was babbling something beside him, but he wasn't really listening. He watched the doctor walk over to the bedside, then open the IV bag.  
That's when he knew something was wrong.  
“Patryck!”  
“I know! Anyway, then he- Where are you going?”  
Paul kicked the door open and grabbed the doctors wrist, about to pour the vial in.  
The doctor yelled in surprise, then paled even more, breaking into a cold sweat.  
“Say, doctor, what is this that you were about to pour into Red Leaders bloodstream?”  
Dr. Philip opened and closed his mouth, then dropped the vial, broke his grip, and attempted to make a run for it.  
Patryck grabbed him at the door.  
“Not so fast. Trying to poison our leader, were you?”  
Dr. Philip babbled nonsense for a second, then said, “I was giving a stronger anesthetic!”  
“Were you? What's it called?”  
“NOT POISON!!”  
Patryck tossed him to the floor. And pulled out his gun.  
Paul came over and placed a hand on his wrist, making him lower the gun. “Wait. We can let Red Leader deal with him himself. For now…”  
He opened up a panel in the floor, swallowing up the doctor.  
“He can stay in the bottomless pit.”  
“That's not a bottomless pit, it's just a dark room.”  
“Whatever, shut up Pat.” Paul retorted affectionately, leaning toward him and kissing him.  
Tom walked in the door, holding a paper towel to his mouth, and stopped. He tapped their shoulder, but they didn't even notice.  
He made a muffled sound, and Paul pulled away. “Oh, Tom? Hi, what is it?”  
Tom pointed at Tord, who was still laying, bag open, and unconscious.  
“Oh right, doctor. I'll go get one.”  
Paul walked out, and came back with another doctor.  
The doctor did surgery to fix whatever may be broken in his body, but he had bad news for the three of them.  
“His leg is ravaged beyond perfect repair. He'll be stuck with a permanent limp.”  
Paul's eyes widened. “Ah…” he glanced at Patryck, who looked worried.  
“Is he waking up anytime soon?”  
The doctor shook his head. “I have to finish surgery on his leg. It'll take about two hours.”  
Paul nodded. “And when will he heal?”  
The doctor scratched his neck uncomfortably. “It will probably take several weeks. But I heard tell down at the lab that they have a solution that speeds up healing. Should I order some?”  
Tom paled by the doorway, standing up straight and trying to say something, then choking and covering his mouth again.  
He shook his head quickly, terrified, and Paul noted his concerns, asking the doctor for a minute to discuss. Tom narrowed his eyes, and Paul corrected himself. “Can you fix his tongue?”  
The doctor shrugged. “I'll have to take a look.”  
He led Tom to another room and examined him, then stitched it up. “It shouldn't be too hard to heal, a couple days. It was kinda shallow, but it may hurt a lot to eat, so take these before every meal.” He handed Tom some painkillers.  
Tom took them, then said “Thanks” with a slight lisp.  
He went back to Paul and Patryck, who were discussing quietly.  
They stopped when Tom came near, looking grumpy and depressed.  
They glanced at each other, then at Tom. “How are you fee-”  
“He should get it.”  
They stopped. “Uh, what?”  
“He should get the serum thing.”  
Paul shook his head. “No, we already decided no-”  
Tom walked forward and grabbed the front of his jacket. “No. Do it. Tord's more important to you guys, and to his army. And if you don't do it, I'll-”  
He winced, reaching his hand up to his mouth, then lowering it again. “I'll go get some myself and forcefeed it to him.”  
Paul put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. “How about we ask Tord.”  
Tom was about to retort, then stopped. “You know what, sure.”


	99. Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
>  My dad and my stepmom are divorcing.  
> Anyway  
> Here you go.  
> WARNING FOR BODY HORROR I GUESS

Tord woke up two hours later, true to the doctors word. He was woozy for a while, so they put off asking him until he was clean.  
“Red Leader, you have a decision to make, though, it has many factors.”  
Tord stared at Paul through half lidded eyes. “I don't like how you're starting this, but go on?”  
Paul paused, then went on. “So, the doctor told us that you'll, uh, be stuck with a permanent limp.”   
Tord's eyes widened. “... Go on.”  
“I don't think that will change. But, uh, it will take you a while to heal, it may even take until after we invade. So, uh, we…”  
“No.”  
Tom glared at him. “What?”  
“No, I'm not going to do your healing thing. There's no need. Patryck, fetch my robotics equipment will you? And Paul, your knife.”  
Tord held out his hand, and Paul confusedly handed over his trusty knife. “Why…?”  
Tord grabbed a nearby rag and tied it around his leg near his hip, pulling it tight. He glared at Patryck. “Go! Get my equipment!” Patryck rushed off, and Tord stabbed the knife through the knot, twisting it into a tourniquet.  
Paul paled. “Is this a good idea?”  
Tom was just confused. What was he doing?   
Tord took his IV out of his arm, carefully inserting it into his leg, then sitting up to mess with the settings on the IV drip machine.  
Tom grabbed his wrist. “What the hell are you doing?!”  
Tord turned to look at him.  
Something in his expression scared Tom, and he backed off without another word.  
Patryck came back rolling a cart.  
Tord pulled it in front of him, and immediately got to work.  
“Everyone leave me alone for about two hours, or whenever I call you.”  
“No.” Tom sat on Tord's bed. “I'm not leaving.”  
Tord glares at him. “Paul, Patryck, leave.”  
They retreat.  
“What are you doing, Tord?”  
Tord ignored him and begins sorting out robotic parts quickly, as though he already knew exactly what he wanted to do.  
Tom glared at him, going silent but staying the entire two hours.  
When he started to see what it was he started questioning Tord again, then tried to derail him, but Tord ignored him the whole time.  
He called Paul and Patryck back in, and Tord held his hand out to Patryck. “Knife.”  
Patr k gave it to him, noticed the metal le on the desk, and quickly turned to take it back.  
But Tord was already sawing through his leg.  
Tom glared at him then quickly looked away, looking pale.  
Paul just straight out walked over to the trash can and hunched over, retching.  
He'd seen gore before, but seeing someone cutting their own leg off was worse.  
Patryck just stared.  
Tord held out a blood soaked hand to him after he was done. “I need a rag.”  
Patryck stared, shaking.  
“Patryck! A rag! I'm bleeding give me a fucking rag!”  
Patryck quickly darted to a cart near the door and grabbed a rag, tossing it to Tord.  
Tord pressed it against his stump, then grabbed the metal limb, pulling his one hand away.  
“Shit. I need to change the electrodes a little. Tom, press down on this for me, will you? This will take a couple minutes and I'm already feeling dizzy, though it may be because I overdosed the drugs in my leg.”  
Tom slowly scooted over and pressed the rag down.  
Tord messed with the electrodes a little, lined it up, fixed it again, lined it up.  
“Tom, I need you to do this quickly and carefully. Actually, no, I need Patryck to do it since he's done it before.”  
Patryck shuddered. “I hated it last time.”  
“Too bad, I'll die of blood loss soon if you don't.”  
Patryck shuddered again, then slowly walked over. “Is it the same thing?”  
“Basically. Tom, take the rag away. Patryck, act quickly, but don't screw up. I'm going to start working on redoing my arm after.”  
Patryck nodded and grabbed the thigh of the robot leg, then hesitated.  
He slowly lined it up, then looked up at Tord, whose eyelids were fluttering.  
He nodded, and Patryck pressed it against his leg.  
Tord shivered, then squeezed his eyes shut, clenching the blanket with his hand.  
Patryck set the leg down, watching a couple small panels move up and lock into his leg.  
“Do you have any idea how creepy this is sir?”  
Tord peeked open one eye, then shut it again. “Don't talk to me I'm going to throw up.”  
Tom narrowed his eyes and watched, until Tord sighed and opened his eyes.  
Tom stared.  
In his one eyeless socket, there was now a hologram eye, that flowed bright blue and moved wherever he looked.  
He grinned. “Perfect.”  
“What did you do to your…”  
“It's not done. I have to add a physical eye as well, all I see in that eye now is code. Your expressions were perfect though.”  
Patryck and Paul were still staring.  
Torf blinked, and his eye fizzled out. “It's too bright, I can see it in my other eye and it's giving me a headache. Otherwise it's perfect.”  
He examined his leg, then slowly bent his knee. Then crossed his legs.  
He touched the metal paneling, running his fingers up his leg.  
“Good. May have made it a bit sensitive, but I'm sure Tom won't mind.” He smirked up at Tom, who finger gunned him. “You know I won't.”  
“Alright alright whatever, it may affect me too much if I'm to get hurt but I'll reprogram it if it becomes a problem. Alright, I'm going to work on my arm now. This may take a little longer, and Tom I require your help.”  
Tom nodded. As soon as Paul and Patryck left, he began to chew Tord out, about how dangerous that was, how he should've explained, how he could've died.  
Tord started yelling at him back, about how he couldn't be stuck with a limp for the rest of his life.  
Then he passed out from getting worked up with so little blood.  
When he woke, Tom was sitting right next to him, looking glum. “I'm sorry.” He said, looking away after he confirmed Tord was awake. “You scare me.”  
Tord sighed. “It's fine, but I need to work right now.”  
“Where's Edd?”  
Tord's eyes widen, and he sat up. “Shit I forgot. Text Paul and Pat and tell them to keep an eye on him.”  
“Okay.”  
Tom got on his phone, and Tord moved the robot pieces around.  
So much red…   
Falling. Burning in his right side.  
Crushed.  
He shook his head, trying to breathe. Weird. He started to piece a couple parts together, but had to ask Tom for help, since he couldn't make his fingers nimble enough when he's so shaky.  
Burning.  
“I thought we were friends!”  
Falling.   
Objects slamming into him, seeing the robot parts about to crush him, suffocating, smoke, fire, blood, so much blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was late


	100. Sleep Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst then fluff yay  
> Bet you all can't wait till next chapter.

It was almost as if Tord was doing it all over again, he remembered the scene so vividly.  
“So long, old friends.”  
The building sense of triumph as he started to take off, until he heard the scream from down on the ground.  
“I am not! Your! Friend!!” How was he not dead? His enemy wasn't dead.  
The crunch of metal as the harpoon pierced the robot, and the emergency systems started blaring.  
Realizing he was going to be shot out of the sky, fearing that he was going to die, the explosion launching him-  
“TORD!”  
Tord stopped screaming, then realized he'd been screaming.  
He was shaking, gripping his head with his one hand, and tears were slipping unnoticed down his cheeks.  
“Tord what's wrong, talk to me!”  
Tord took a moment to gather his scattered thoughts, then turned to Tom.  
“You were supposed to be dead.”  
Tom's digital eyes widened and he leaned back a bit. “What?”  
“You're- you should be dead, I tried to kill you that day. The day I left, the second time. You were supposed to die, but you didn't.”  
Tom hesitated. “Yeaaaah? I guess? Is that what you're freaking out about?”  
“I was supposed to die when you shot me down.”  
Tom hesitated. “I wasn't exactly trying to kill you, I was just trying to stop you.”  
Tord laughed humorlessly. “That's exactly the difference between you and me.”  
He shook his head. “Give me the screwdriver. I need to finish this and learn how to walk with this new thing before tomorrow.”  
“It already is tomorrow.” Tom showed Tord his watch, which showed 1:30 am.  
“Well shit. We have to hurry.”  
He quickly got Tom to accurately build the arm for him, Tom laughing every time Tord added another function to it.  
“Uh Tord we can't put that there the hidden gun is there.”  
“Well then-”  
“Tord, the whole thing is filled. Just put it on, will you?”  
Tord sighed. “Fine. I really wanted that flame shooter though.”  
“You've literally got an air conditioning system let's just put it on okay?”  
Tord nodded. “Alright. Last time I did the same thing I did to my leg, but this time I need to attach it to the broken stump, since there’s some metal and broken wires and such. Which will take longer.” He said disdainfully.  
Tom narrowed his eyes. “Fine, next time I’ll remember to bite off half your chest as well.”  
Tord rolled his eyes and grabbed the robot arm. “You know that’s not what I meant.”  
“Yeah yeah.”   
Tord instructed him how to fix the wires and attach the arm mechanically, shivering as his nerves were reattached, overstimulated until they was fully connected.  
Finally Tom was melding the metal plates together and they were done.  
Tord moved his arm, clenched his fist, punched the air. “Will do.”  
“Okay, now Tord, are you okay?”  
Tord glanced at him. “What do you mean?”  
“You were talking about the day you left…”  
“Oh… I may… It was just flashbacks that’s all.”  
“Do you think you have PTSD?”  
“Leave me alone Tom.” Tord said uncomfortably, getting ready to stand up off the bed. “There’s nothing wrong with me, and if there is I can fix it somehow. So leave it, I’ll be fine.”  
Tom narrowed his eyes but didn’t argue. “Alright. It’s 2:30, should we sleep or get ready for the attack?”  
“Sleep is for the weak. Let’s call Paul and Patryck back-”  
“I beg to disagree, sleep is for the healthy. And I’m beat.”  
“Fine, you sleep, and I’ll-”  
Tom smirked. “Go to sleep or I’ll lay on you until you give up.”  
Tord narrowed his eyes. “I’m stronger than you.”  
“Can you push me off when I’m a giant monster?” Tom teased.  
“Probably. Got anything else?”  
“Hmmm you said your leg is extra sensitive?”  
Tord hesitated, then hugged his knees. “Yeeeesss?”  
“That means extra ticklish too, right?”  
Tord’s eyes widened. “Tom you wouldn’t dare.”  
Tom held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. “Maybe if you sleep you won’t have to find out.”  
“SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!!”  
Tom leapt at Tord and tickled his leg, and Tord struggled to get away, sides heaving with laughter. “Tom no!”  
“Will you go to sleep?”  
“NEVER!!”  
“Then Tom yes.”  
Tom attacked his sides, and the door slammed open. “Sir? It’s-... I’ll come back-”  
“No, Paull, come in. Tom, off.”  
Tom got off, grumbling, and sat at the foot of the bed. “I was trying to get him to sleep. When was the last time you got to rest, Paul?”  
Paul hesitated. “A… day and a half ago?”  
Tord sighed. “We don’t have time to sleep.”  
“You do if I have anything to say about it. Look, the attack is moved to lunch anyway, sleep for a few hours.”  
Tord glared at Tom. “Go then, sleep if you need to. But I need to get everything ready and planned out-”  
“Tord! Everything’s been checked, double checked, triple checked. The entire army knows exactly what their job is. You don’t want to pass out partway through battle, just get some winks until you’re needed!”  
Tord glared at him. “Fine. Fine fine fine fine Paul go rest or whatever. Happy, Tom?”  
Tom smirked. “Yes.”  
Tord rolled his eyes and laid down, Tom laying next to him, arm over his waist, whispering against his neck. “Thank you.”  
Tord slept well, but Tom was awake the entire morning, watching him.


	101. It's Starting!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not officially out of hiatus, I just wanted to post this cause I finished it. Warning: It's really short. I'm sorry.
> 
>  
> 
> It's also kinda rushed.

Tord and Tom stood on a hill, Tord almost shaking with excitement.  
“It’s starting!” Tord sent out a signal to his entire army, two flashing lights on all of their devices, and waited about a minute before he saw the soldiers starting to flood in, looking like ants from where he was. He heard a couple shouts, then a couple more, then the sound of gunfire and cries of triumph and pain as the war itself started.  
Tord tsk’d. “Must be Jordan that revealed them, I told them he should be in the second wave, or the third. Ah well, minor setback.”  
Tom smiled. “Should I go?”  
“No no no no no, you’re later. I need to save you for the third wave at least, make them think hope is lost. Alright, I need Pat to go with Edd to the secret hideout… now.”  
Tom pressed a button on some sort of keypad that he was holding. There wasn’t any visible difference. Not yet.  
“Do you think I should send the second wave in, sir?”  
“Yeah, and tell the snipers that they’re coming up.”  
Tom grinned and pressed a couple more buttons, and another flood of soldiers joined, the fight moving completely inside the building once the snipers started picking people off.  
Tord whacked Tom’s shoulder. “Quick! The camera feed!”  
Tom nodded and pulled it up, showing it to Tord. “Now?”  
“Clear them away first.”  
Tom pressed a button, and suddenly all their soldiers ran out of the building.  
Then, above the enemies, the ceiling exploded as they detonated the bomb.  
They saw the cloud of smoke erupting from the explosion, then there was another one, and another. Tord watched in fascination, then elbowed Tom. “Check on Pat and Edd. Now now no-”  
“Okay okay.”  
He typed out a quick message and Patryck responded that they were at the door to the hideout. Tord snatched the device and told them to wait until they hear fighting, and to take out the guards if they need to.  
Tom frowned at him, and Tord rolled his eye and gave the device back to Tom. “Sorry. Third wave coming up in a few minutes, get ready.”  
A messenger from the fight ran up to Tord and Tom. “Red Leader, sir.” He said, saluting.   
Tord nodded. “Permission to speak.”  
“The thermal cameras show movement in the bunkers of the East wing, and our armies have pushed through to the Middle complex.”  
“Alright, thank you soldier. Try to move them toward the West wing, we’ll send the third wave East. I’ll need another messenger to tell us where the third wave is most needed, understand?”  
“Yes sir!”  
“Dismissed.”  
The soldier ran off and Tord turned to Tom. “Send them in on my count. You’ll go with the fourth. And bring up the camera feed.”  
Tom nodded and did so, showing it to Tord, who watched carefully. “Okay okay, three… two… one NOW NOW!!”  
Tom flipped a switch that sent a signal to the third wave, who suddenly poured into the building, almost twice as big as the first.  
And still Tord was holding back.  
Tom frowned. “There will be no one left for me at this rate.”  
“Hold on Tom, we haven’t even gotten to the hideout.”  
Tom nodded, then Pat sent them a message saying he was going in. Tom sent him affirmative.  
Tord put a hand on Toms shoulder, trembling excitedly.  
But Tom noticed something that had him worried. “Tord? I got the exact blueprint of the hideout when they opened the doors. It’s a lot smaller than I thought.”  
Tord frowned. “What?”  
“I mean, it can’t hold that many soldiers. It’s small.”  
He got a message from Pat and quickly clicked on it;  
‘I can’t kill them.’  
There was a picture with it. A room full of children, pets, and bunkbeds, looking fearfully at the camera.  
‘It’s full of children, it’s not the soldiers. Should I look for another attached room or look elsewhere in the building?’  
Tord snatched the device from Tom’s hands, face full of fury at being played. He typed out quickly, then tossed the device back to Tom.   
‘Kill them.’


	102. Vehicles and Radioactivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya guys! Long time no post, I'm so sorry about that! But I have returned, plot twists and cliffhangers and all, ready to deliver a new dose of anticipation on you all.  
> I really like what I did with this. I think it turned out well.  
> It may not match entirely fact for fact, but I'm tying in past elements to this.  
> Also, I know my grammar in this isn't the best. But I hope you all like it anyway.  
> Enjoy!

“Sir we can’t do that!”  
Patryck had called almost immediately, and his voice was panicked. “They were just hiding from the battle, they weren’t-”  
“Did I ask you, soldier?! You will do what I say. And you will not delay. If you must justify yourself, think about what they’ll do to our army when they grow. Kill them Patryck.”  
“Sir! Please, think-”  
“Do you want me to come down there myself?”  
There was silence.  
Then a gunshot. Two. Then what sounded like a battle.  
Patryck dropped his device, and all they heard were shouts and screams and gunshots.  
Tord hung up, then clicked on the camera for the hideout.   
It was definitely not what he expected. There were no children to be seen, or pets. What looked like blue slime covered the walls and floor of the room, and amalgamations corpses covered the ground. Men with four arms and four legs, women with beaks instead of mouths, what looked like children, except from a horror story. But there was no blood, just the blue slime.   
The camera showed Patryck’s back, heaving for breath but seeming uninjured. He was covered in the goop, and as they watched he dropped his rifle and fell heavily to his knees, then down to the floor.  
Edd was slumped against the wall, passed out. Neither seemed injured.   
“Tell Paul to find them and get them out. Both of them. I want to know why Edd lied to us.”  
“Yes sir…” Tom was shook, but he sent the message.  
“Okay, I need to prepare to do my part. And you need to join the fourth wave. I’ll send up a red flare when it’s your turn to go.”  
“Yes sir.” Tom said, handing him the device and turning to leave.   
“Wait-” Tord grabbed his arm and spun him around.   
Tom looked at him curiously.   
“You’re not allowed to die. If you die, I’ll… I’ll kill you.”  
Tom smirked. “Yes sir Red Leader. Same goes for you.”  
They stood for a moment, Tord seeming as if he wanted to say something else, then released him. “Remember, wait for my signal.”   
Tom rolled his black eyes and waved, then jogged off.  
Tord went down the hill, the valley he was headed toward hidden from view of the Green Revolt base.  
A battalion of tanks waited for him there.  
Tom was greeted rather enthusiastically by the fourth wave, all of them cheering when they saw him, waving. He raised a hand to get their attention.  
“We are not to leave yet. T- Red Leader will send up a red flare, and then we will charge.”  
He had to shout to be heard, though they all seemed to get the message.  
He stood at the head of the crowd, deciding last second to take off his jacket and shirt so he didn’t ruin them. He asked someone to set them aside for him.  
He brought out a device he called the “Pod” as he got a message.  
From Tord: ‘All the soldiers in the Revolt are awake and fighting now. They are not quite pushing back yet. Get ready to move.’  
Tom set that aside as well and watched the skies, waiting.  
There were shouts of surprise from the soldiers when they realized the base’s gates were opening, and two helicopters took off into the sky, shooting through the already-damaged ceiling to the soldiers below.  
The Red Army soldiers.  
Suddenly a flare shot up from somewhere in the middle of the base, colored red, and the fourth wave charged forward.  
Tord didn’t set of the flare himself, of course. That would compromise his position.  
Tom charged forward with the rest, feeling himself change as he ran until he was bounding ahead of the rest. His eye was set on one thing, and one thing only.  
Just as he was nearing the base, shots beginning to hit his pelt, he leapt up, catching the roof in his claws and leaping again.  
He managed to grab onto the tail of the helicopter, dragging it down with him and slamming it on the bullet riddled rooftop.  
The roof caved, and there were shouts of fear from below, but it didn’t give.  
Tom turned to the other copter, which had backed far away from him, and moved up and out of reach.  
He felt machine gun bullets making welts in his skin. He sat, glaring at the helicopter, tense and waiting.  
He heard vehicles roaring to life, momentarily distracted as five different combat vehicles, all ground though seeming to be originally made, rolled out and into the hallways, running people down as though they were paved.  
Tom roared and pounced, landing on top of one and knocking it over, slamming his front legs down until it resembled a blood covered crushed can.  
He glanced up once more at the helicopter, still hovering a safe distance away, then went into the building. When the Red Army soldiers saw and heard him coming, they quickly moved out of the way, though the Green Revolt did not react quickly enough and got trampled under him.  
Tom payed them no mind. He was focused on the tank-like vehicle in front of him.   
With one leap, he managed to grab the rear end of the vehicle and slow it down, though it did not stop completely, and Tom quickly lost his grip.  
Oh, how he hated his toys getting away.  
He stabbed his claws into the back of it again, crawling on top of it and grabbing the turret, which had swiveled to face him, in his jaws.  
He tugged, then readjusted and tugged again, hearing the groan of metal, before it snapped off and launched Tom back off of it.  
He spat out the mouthful of metal, then turned to the tank again, ready to leap forward.  
Tom suddenly jerked back when bullets came from above, stinging him, and looked up to see that damn helicopter back at its assault on him.  
The tank spun its main gun on him, ready to shoot rockets that might actually injure him.  
He slowed down his frenzied thoughts of attack.  
Who should he attack?  
* * * Meanwhile * * *   
Paul had Patryck over one shoulder, and was struggling to pick up Edd as well.  
He needed to get them out of this room. Something was wrong with this place, it reeked of rot and he could feel it starting to affect his mind.  
He opted for grabbing Edds ankle and dragging him out the door, slamming it shut with a breath of relief.  
Then he noticed a trail of the blue slime on the wall, just a line of it seeming to lead somewhere. That definitely had not been there before.  
Should he follow it? He felt like it might lead to something important, or vital.  
But he was carrying (and dragging) people who weren’t quite in a safe state, who might be dying if they didn’t get help.  
He sent a message to the healers, telling them where to pick up Edd and Patryck.   
He set them up a hallway away, where they could easily be found by someone who knew where they were, then turned and walked to the trail. He resisted the urge to touch whatever the slime was, but followed it down emptied hallways and past bunkers, then what looked like a meeting room.  
Then he realized he was entering the lab sector of the place, and that the line on the wall was beginning to become thicker, more splashed around, less controlled. An ominous feeling left him with fear, but he pushed it down, He knew he was nearing the end of the trail.  
It stopped at a door, slightly ajar, a green light pulsing inside.  
Paul stepped forward and slowly pushed it open, looking around for a few seconds before his eyes widened in horror.  
His back slammed against the wall of the hallway, as he backed up into it.  
In front of him was a huge room, big enough to fit ten monster Tom’s in there. A few tanks filled with the blue slime held people, children. But with the pulse of the light, they would morph into an amalgamation of human parts, then back into children.  
In the middle of the room was the biggest tank of them all, filled with green liquid that Paul recognized immediately as radioactive waste. It seemed to be flowing, as though there was more in a container above, going down to below.  
And he saw a hairline crack in the glass, radioactive-proof glass he could only assume.  
The crack was slowly growing, wrapping around the container at glacial speed.  
Glacial or not, it needed to stop.  
Paul had no idea what to do.


	103. Meltdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henlo

Paul ran into the room and covered his mouth and nose quickly, looking around for something to stop it. Duct tape??  
There was no duct tape in the room, but there was a door leading into what looked like a control room, so he ran in there.  
What if the radiation was affecting everyone in the base? Did the tanks have to do with the weird blue slime? How did they turn it blue?   
Food coloring?  
That was NOT the thing to think about right now. Paul turned on the systems in the control room only to quickly figure out they had pretty much nothing to do with whatever the radiation was. It was linked to another completely different part of the building, some sort of prototype of a machine.  
A time machine? That was no help.  
A teleporter? Wait.  
He was confused now. He shouldn’t be doing this, he should find Tom or Red Leader, someone smart. He was good with computers, but not advanced. He should get help. Was Patryck still there?  
No he was probably unconscious.  
A message appeared on the screen. “Transport all soldiers to Red Base?”  
It had a yes or no button below it.  
Well crap. So that was their big plan? Teleport all the Green Revolt directly into their base? Paul sat back from the computer, dumbstruck.  
This was a lot of information at once. He decided to search for more.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - -   
Tom decided. He opened his jaws and clamped down on the tanks gun, crushing it. They tried to shoot him anyway and it exploded just as Tom leapt up onto the roof, roaring at the helicopter, trying to jump up to it and accidentally crashing through the roof.  
He leapt back up toward it, falling on the ceiling, but not through it this time.  
Suddenly his attention was caught otherwise.  
He saw people flooding out of the building, all of them Red Army. He tilted his head, confused, then saw something coming over the hill.  
Rather, a LOT of somethings. A huge mass of tanks were making their way down the hill, and-  
The helicopter shot through Tom’s ear, and he roared in pain before turning and leaping up at the helicopter. He caught the tail, pushing it off balance, and as it righted itself he leapt again and took it down.  
“TOM! GET DOWN!” There were three Red Army people at the side of the building, shouting at him.   
He ignored them, crushing the helicopter, then yelped as the roof caved under them and leapt out before he crashed.   
He stared down at the helicopter, pacing, trying to figure out how to get down to finish the stupid thing off. Something pelted his side. He sat up, ears perked, and something hit him again. Where was it coming from??  
He looked around then down at the three that had been shouting at him earlier. One of them picked up a rock and threw it, bouncing off his horn. He growled a warning, turning away, then yelped as something hit him much sharper.  
He whipped around with a growl, glaring at the one holding up a pistol.  
“Run.” said one to the other two, and they took off.  
Tom braced himself and roared, then leapt off the ceiling to chase them.  
It would have been easy if they didn’t pile into a Jeep and take off again, throwing up dirt.   
His feet pounded against the ground as he sped up, gathering his strength to leap after them.  
Something crashed against his side and exploded, and he was thrown sideways, rolling to a stop.  
Jeezus that hurt. One of the many tanks had shot at him, striking his side, and there was a burn in his side. He whimpered, feeling his ribs in pain, and plopped down, too tired to fight.  
Tord walked into his vision, crouching down next to his head, already starting to get smaller as the fight wore out of him.   
“Sorry Tom, had to get you away from the building. You remember our plan.”  
Tom flipped him off, hand almost human again. He was about to pass out when he heard someone call Tord.  
Then it was quiet.  
\- - - - - - - - - - - -   
“What the hell.” Tord said. “You can’t be serious.”  
‘Yes, I am. I also found what looks to be a huge teleporter of some sort, a popup came up and it was supposed to teleport the whole army directly into our base. Also possibly into a different part of time, it’s weird but it messes with time mechanics as well.’  
“You realize that we now have to wait for you to get out of there, right? We’re about to blow the place up, the machines won’t matter anymore.”  
‘Yes, I understand, but is exploding radioactive waste really a good idea?’  
Tord hated when other people were right. “Just get out of there.”  
‘Wait!’  
“What?”  
‘Did you get Patryck?’  
“No. Oh. Yes.” He just noticed a group of four carrying Patryck and Edd out of the building. “Now escort yourself out.”  
‘Sir, wait!’  
“Stop telling me to wait! I-”  
‘What if- wait, I have an idea, hold on and don’t blow it up yet.’  
“Whatever. Just get out.”  
‘Y-yes sir.’  
Paul hung up, staring at the controls in front of him. Transportation into his base, a time machine, radioactive waste… it all seemed familiar.  
He tried to remember exactly when their base had been flooded, then brought out his phone and went back through his digital journal. Patryck always said the journals were stupid, but here he was, about to prove him wrong.  
Was it really that recently??  
He went back to the computer, booting up the systems, then hesitated. How? How would he link all three together at the same time?  
He went to the teleporters controls and looked through the settings, then the time machines settings, then set the date and relative time before going back to the teleporter settings, trying how to make it take the radioactive waste and not just the whole base.  
What if Red Leader went ahead and blew the place up?  
He shook off his worried thoughts and tried to stay focused. His life was on the line, in more ways than one. He suddenly found measurement settings for the teleporter, and item settings, so that it didn’t teleport anyone who was unauthorized. Well shit, how did one become authorized? He changed the measurement setting to encompass just the room, and the large glass tanks he could see in the blueprints above and below the room.   
Should he run it now? Would it work?  
He had set the time. Which meant it should be ready to run. But what about authorization?  
Well, his worries were pushed aside when someone entered the room with the tank. He seemed to be a regular soldier, snooping about, a Green Revolt insignia on his arm. Then another soldier, a girl, and two more followed.  
He quickly ran the programs, picking up his rifle to defend himself.  
‘Error 404; Authorization not found.’  
“Screw you!” He shouted at the machine, hoisting his rifle and hurriedly running it again.  
Nothing.  
And his time was up. One soldier had stayed in the room while the other three came for him.  
That wasn’t why his time was up, though. The crack had just reached around the whole container, and there was radiation bubbling out of it.  
The three that had been holding their guns up to Paul quickly ran back into the room to try to block it off, pressing their guns against the holes.  
Paul could feel the waves of radiated heat from in his control room. He went back to the computer, adjusting the settings as quickly as he could to encompass the whole room, then ran it again, just as the container burst, pouring over the soldiers.  
‘Authorization found. Teleporting in 3…’  
The radiation spilled into his little room, washing over his legs, hard enough to make him fall right into it.  
‘2…’  
He shouted in pain as the heat flooded into him, he was burning, this was the strongest fever he’s ever gotten-  
What fever? He was dying.  
He felt sick.  
‘1.’  
There was a flash, and it was gone.  
It was all gone, the radiation, the weird morphing children in the tanks, all of it.  
But not from Paul. He still felt the effects, he felt like he was melting, or just mutating, or growing, he didn’t even know.  
He rolled over onto his stomach and dragged himself out of the room. He hadn’t been teleported.  
He pulled out his device.  
Was his arm melting? Weird.  
‘I can’t get out, radiation gone, think I’m melting.’ He sent to Red Leader before passing out.


	104. Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im HiGh On ViCtOrY  
> WhOoOoOoO

The text never sent. His device broke before it could.  
The opposing army thought it was a retreat. Tord supposed his own army was too far away to tell the difference between tanks and soldiers. As it was, their army was probably too depleted to worry about anything but bandaging the wounded.  
Maybe someone was going around finding bombs and trying to disarm them. It would take too long, and wouldn’t be a help to anybody.  
Nuclear shit running through the building. Tord KNEW that if he blew it up, it would wipe out both armies.  
He wasn’t dumb enough to try it, and refused to think of what would have happened if he hadn’t known. If he had blown up the building anyway.   
There was movement by the door, and the entire army levelled their rifles.  
But there were only five figures, four of them carrying one in a box, and one balancing said box on one hand and waving a red bandana.   
The army lowered their rifles. It was the recovery team, and Patryck, having woken up perfectly fine almost as soon as he was brought out of the battle, was waving the bandana. Edd was still out, but Tord was pretty sure he was just pretending. He didn’t care enough to worry about it yet.  
They set down the box, Paul inside with a gas mask. His skin looked all wrong, like he had been standing in an oven and he started to melt instead of burn.  
As soon as they set him down, the entire army ducked, except Tord, who stood there, feeling powerful, as he ordered the tanks to fire.  
Missiles shot. The building exploded as hidden explosives went off. There was one round, all the tanks shooting almost simultaneously, and the building was blackened.  
Then he shouted something, and they fired again. And again. If you looked on that spot after he was finished and ordered his army away, it would be a black crater. No one could have possibly survived.  
Edd sat up, giving up his charade of being asleep, to watch in horror the devastation. He couldn’t even make himself imagine if he’d never defected. What would have happened? Would he have been smart enough to figure out Tord’s plan?  
Did they figure out Tord’s plan? They could be escaping in an underground tunnel right now.  
After it was done, there was complete silence.  
Someone in the army let out a tentative “Yay…?”  
Then cheers erupted. Tord was even grinning, though Patryck looked harried, staring at the glass box containing Paul. He was clearly terrified for him.  
And Edd was just terrified. He hated Tord. He hated what Tord did to get his way. He hated that he’d been coward enough to go along with it. He hated that he was coward enough to sneak away now, and run, while everyone was still celebrating. He hated fearing for his life as he did so.   
Tord became occupied as Tom moved, clearly about to wake up.   
He opened one eye, saw Tord crouching over him, and closed it again. “Did we win yet?”  
“Yes, Tom. No one can stand in my way anymore.”  
“That is such a cliche evil villain thing to say that I’m going to refuse to acknowledge you for ten minutes.”  
“Have fun with that.” Tord said, laughing, before sliding his arms under his shoulders and knees and lifting him up. “Look.”  
Tom looked, already forgetting he was ignoring Tord. The blackened crater, the ash in the air. It wasn’t a pretty sight.  
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Tord said. “I love explosions.”  
“Boom boom boom boom.” Tom said tiredly. Tord started laughing again, caught in a really good mood. “Come on let’s get back. I think it’s about time we add another few laws. You get to pick second.”  
“I don’t like politics.” Tom said. “And what’s wrong with Paul?”  
Tord had been passing by, and he stopped, the smile dropping off his face. “Oh. Well. He found a nuclear waste dump in the base, and teleported all of it away, but only after he’d been soaked. It’s complicated. That box was supposed to be for fire victims, to cool them off, so I had them fetch him in that. Patryck!” He called. Patryck looked up. The panic was gone, replaced with a look of defeat. “Bring him with us, he needs immediate care.”  
Patryck nodded, silently lifting it up along with the other three helpers and following Tord onto two different helicopters.  
They took off, flying back to base. Tord sat Tom down next to him, and Tom slumped against him, his side still hurting him. “Tord, never shoot me with a tank again.”  
“Only if there’s another way to save your life.”  
“Screw you.”  
“Now? Really?” Tord joked. “I knew you wanted attention but I wasn’t aware it was the public’s attention you-”  
“Shut up Tord!” But Tom was laughing. “Stop making me laugh, several of my ribs are probably broken.”  
“Screwing me wouldn’t help that much, would it?”  
Tom punched him. “Shut it.”  
“When we get back I’ll 3D print you some new ribs.”  
“Absolutely not. Are you drunk? You’re not fixing me drunk.”  
“I’m high on victory.”  
“Good for you.” Tom said, kicking his shin. “Let’s go celebrate and get me drunk, then. I need it.”  
\- - -  
‘Sir. Edd is nowhere to be seen. It is believed he ran away.’  
Tord considered the message for a solid five seconds.   
'Kill on sight.'


	105. Dance With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not into overwatch anymore. That was a short thing. I'm still really slow, but a friendly smol Norwegian convinced me to keep writing this as soon as possible.  
> Thank the Norwegian.  
> Here you go.

Tom was released soon from the Red Army hospital wing, just in time for the post-defeating-the-rebellion party. He walked over to Tord, who was hanging out by the drink table, watching the festivities. “Like a loser.”  
“What?” Tord said, turning to Tom with a grin.  
“I said, you’re hanging out by the snack and drink table at a party, like a loser.” Tom teased, poking his side. “You should have fun. It’s your success, after all.”  
“Yeah, well, parties aren’t really my type.”  
“Sir, I don’t mean to bother you, but u-um, my friends were wondering if you want to join us in a game? A-A card game?” A soldier walked up and fidgeted nervously as he addressed the Red Leader, eyes wide. Tord rolled his eye. “I think if I joined you you’d have a heart attack.”  
“Yeah, and you haven’t played a card game in your life. You’d end up holding the cards backward.” Tom joked. Tord glared daggers at him as Tom dismissed the soldier. Tom looked at him. “What? I’m not wrong.”  
“He didn’t have to know that.” Tord muttered. He grabbed a cookie and nibbled on it, bored.  
Suddenly Tom spotted a couple silhouettes creeping up behind Tord, and he raised his eyebrows. “Wh-”  
They grabbed Tords arms and started dragging him into the thick of the dancing mob, Tord struggling and shouting at them to let go.  
Tom just snickered once he saw who it was, following. “You're going to have fun, sir, and there's nothing you can say about it.” Patryck scolded. “This is your party.”   
He had to shout over the music as Tord wrestled them off, glaring at them. “I don't dance!” He shouted back.  
Tom pushed his way through the crowd toward him. “Come on. Dance.”  
“No!” Tord protested, backing away. “I don't dance. I mean-” he muttered, thinking they didn't hear him. “I don't dance without a partner.”  
Tom looked at Paul and Pat and jerked his head, and they disappeared into the crowd.  
Tom puthis hands on Tords shoulders. “You just gotta move. Like, sway. Or bounce. That counts as dancing.”  
“I will not make a fool of myself like this, Tom.”  
The song ended. Then another one started, and it was a 'couples dance’. Tom smiled and ran his hand down Tords arm and interlocked his fingers with Tords robot ones. “Come on.”  
Tord looked around. A couple people were watching them, but mostly they were getting into pairs to dance with the love song.  
Tord sighed. “You set me up.”  
“Maybe.”  
“Fine. But you asked for it. And only one song.” He said angrily.   
He put his arm around Tom's waist. “Do you have two left feet?”  
“What? Oh, uh, no.” Tom said.   
“Good.”  
Tord, by this time, was being given a bit of space. Idol as he might be, people were scared to squish him in in case he got mad.  
He swept Tom across the room with more expertise and elegance than Tom was expecting. He held Tom securely to keep him from falling but after a moment Tom was going with him, and did a twirl or two, moving his feet with the music and thrilled that Tord was synced up with him. The people around them weren't even dancing anymore, gathered in a circle to watch the dynamic duo as they performed their epic dance.  
The song was at it's end and Tom was moving backward when he tripped over something and started to fall backward-  
That thing was Tords foot. He dipped Tom, a huge grin on his face. He held Tom's hand to keep him up, and they were both panting for breath as the song ended. Tord kissed him, startling him and not startling him at the same time, and everyone suddenly burst into cheers and applause.  
Tord pulled Tom up and put an arm around his waist, looking out at the crowd. Some were holding phones up to take video, and Tord knew it would be all over the internet in minutes.  
Tom turned in front of him and cupped his cheek. “That was really fucking cool.” Tom said quietly, barely audible above the crowd. Tord smiled. “Yeah.”  
“So you're glad I made you dance?” Tom grinned.   
Tord rolled his eyes. “I guess. That was almost as fun as fighting.”  
Tom was pleased. He kissed Tords neck then pulled away and waved at the watchers, telling them to go back to whatever they were doing as another song came on.  
Tord pulled him out of the crowd and leaned against the wall. “Oh come on Tord you have to keep dancing.”  
“I'm worn out from that-”  
“Not like that, just, you know, in the crowd.” Tom leaned against him, somehow having gotten a red cup of spiked apple cider. “It would help to socialize with your soldiers.”  
Tord wrinkled his nose at that idea. “I guess, later. Give me that.” He took a sip of Tom's drink.   
Then gave it back. “I don't get drunk around my soldiers I just wanted a taste.”  
Tom nodded and guzzled the rest. “Yeah well I'm trying to get drunk.” He said, wiping his mouth. “Throw this away for me, will you?” He turned and disappeared into the crowd.   
Tords eyes widened. “Tom?”  
He wasn't expecting him to leave. He looked for him in the crowd. He couldn't see him.  
“Tom you idiot.” He growled, looking down at his cup. He went back to the drink table and threw the cup away, grabbing a bottle of water.   
“Sir, I really liked your dance.” Said a soldier, coming up to him. He was drunk, Tord could tell, so he automatically would excuse his actions unless extreme.  
“So did many people, I assume.” Tord said. “Seeing as everyone watched.”  
The man stumbled forward and fell against Tord. Tord rolled his eyes, tensing up, waiting for the soldier to push off of him.  
He didn't. He poked a finger on Tord’s chest and traced it in circles, snickering. Tord grabbed his jacket and shoved him off. “Idiot. Go get sober.”   
The guy whined and reached his hands out. “But I-” Tord grabbed his hair and threw him to the ground, standing on his shoulder with one foot.   
“I wasn't asking. Go get yourself sober before you do something you regret.”  
The guy got up and scurried away, as soon as Tord let him up again.  
He brushed a hand on his jacket, disgusted, then sighed.   
Tom showed up suddenly. “Hey wanna join me?”  
“Yeah, I guess.” If he was with Tom people wouldn't dare hit on him.  
He allowed himself to lightly bob his head and tap his foot, arms crossed, to the music.  
Tom grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles, having more fun than Tord obviously was.  
Tom slowed down and started pouting. “You're having no fun.”  
“I'm having plenty of fun.” Tord said, eyebrows raised.   
Tom frowned. “Tord…”  
“No, I'm serious, I'm having a lot of fun. I like the music, and-”  
“Thank you for everything Red Leader!!” A girl shouted, then disappeared into the crowd. Tord smiled. “See I'm even smiling.”  
Tom walked forward and rested his head on Tord’s shoulders, putting his arms around his waist. “If you say so. I believe you.”  
Tord kissed his cheek. “I am. I promise.”  
“Tell you what… Why don't we go to your office, or room, and have a little party of our own?”  
Tord thought about it. “But what about my party?”  
“They can have fun without you.”  
“Ouch.”  
Tom elbowed him. “You know what I meant. Can we?”  
Tord rolled his eyes. “Yes. Come on.” Tom grinned and pulled him after him, to their room, and immediately pressed him up against the wall, kissing him slowly but passionately.  
A couple minutes later, as they started to get more intense, someone burst in. “Sir!!”  
Tord pushed Tom away quickly, glaring at Paul. “What??”  
He wiped his mouth, not bothering to hide his boner.   
“Uhhhhh well Edd’s back. At least, we've seen him around.”   
Tord sighed. “We just have to lure him here… look, we can talk about it later, can I finish my business?”  
“I suppose sir, he just left a message for you.”  
“Great I'll read or watch it later. Bye.” He glared at Paul until he awkwardly scooted out of the room, closing the door.  
Tom and Tord celebrated the night away.


End file.
